Stephen A. Smith revealed Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take" that he'll be at WrestleMania 39.
So, will WWE use the polarizing pundit as part of its two-night extravaganza at SoFi Stadium?
WWE legend Ric Flair teased the opportunity during an interview to promote his upcoming documentary, "Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair," which will begin streaming exclusively on Peacock next Monday.
"Stephen A., I just got the word passed along that because WrestleMania is in California -- they know you love California -- I think they're entertaining the idea of having you manage one of these guys that can't talk too well," Flair said.
This felt like playful banter more than anything else. Who knows whether Flair actually has any inside information regarding a possible SAS cameo on April 1 and/or April 2 at The Show of Shows in Inglewood, Calif. But hey, it's probably not outside the realm of possibility.
WWE is using the tagline, "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood," creating the assumption the company will pull out all the stops to host a star-studded event. And Smith, love him or hate him, moves the needle as a high-profile talking head.
Not to mention, Smith has a boisterous personality and the gift of gab, which could play well as a manager in WWE, where one's microphone work oftentimes is just as important as his or her physical capabilities when it comes to drawing a crowd reaction.
"I would love to be a bad guy manager ... I want to be one of those bad guys," Smith said Tuesday. "I don't want to be the goody-two-shoes guy, I want to be the troublemaker bad manager. I think I could pull it off, Ric Flair. I think I could pull it off.
"If they want me to be a bad guy manager, here's the problem," he added. "Nobody can touch me. I'm gonna have that as part of my contract. Nobody can touch me. I'm too frail. I can't let them touch me, man. I've got a life to look forward to. Ain't nobody body slamming me."
Crazy enough to work?
