According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, ESPN personality Stephen A. There has been serious internal discussion about Smith coming to WWE.
The report adds to the ongoing conversation about TKO's impact on WWE programming, with Meltzer stating that those who were critical of Pat McAfee's involvement in the build-up to WrestleMania 42 are among those favorable to Smith internally.
Meltzer addressed the topic by discussing Kevin Nash's recent comments urging TKO to stay away from WWE creative. He said that TKO's intervention happens occasionally but its timing is bad.
Meltzer said, "They don't really do it a lot, but from what I was told, they don't do it a lot, but they always seem to do it at the most inopportune times." “It happened at WrestleMania this year, it definitely happened, yes. We haven't seen anyone put pressure on them.
"I mean, we haven't seen anything with Stephen A. Smith — yet, boy, that name has been talked about. And I know it's serious discussion. To put it this way, a lot of people who weren't really happy with Pat McAfee are on Stephen A.'s side, as far as internally."
Smith himself addressed the possibility last month, confirming that WWE President Nick Khan had spoken to him about the on-screen role. The 58-year-old said he was not interested in any physical involvement, but did not completely rule out an appearance. Given his respect for old school heel managers like Bobby Heenan, if Smith were to move forward a managerial character would be the most natural fit for him.
WWE's relationship with ESPN has grown significantly since the two parties reached a PLE deal in September 2025, with WWE receiving prominent daytime coverage during WrestleMania week and stars such as Dannhausen and Seth Rollins making appearances on ESPN in the Backlash build. This relationship makes Smith a more natural crossover candidate than most celebrity names coming forward for WWE roles.
