If your social media feeds are already filled with people arguing over the results of the big Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes wrestling match on Sunday night, get ready to see even more WWE posts.
On Monday morning, fresh off WrestleMania weekend, pro wrestling giant World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) officially announced that it would be merging with MMA conglomerate Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The two entities, the biggest pro wrestling and MMA promotions in the world, would form a new $21 billion sports entertainment company.
How much did WWE sell for?
UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, will own 51 percent of this new entity. WWE shareholders will control the other 49 percent. The deal between Endeavor and WWE values UFC at more than $12 billion and WWE at more than $9 billion.
The new entity does not yet have a name, but will be publicly listed on the stock exchange as “TKO.”
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will act as CEO of the new company as well. WWE owner Vince McMahon, who retired last summer as the company board investigated sexual misconduct claims against him, will also sit at the top of the new company as the executive chairman. McMahon had returned to the WWE earlier this year in order to explore a sale of the company. Current WWE CEO Nick Khan will serve as president of the wrestling organization. UFC president Dana White will continue to serve in that role.
Fans compare UFC PPV prices to WWE streaming service
News of the merger has WWE fans on social media worried about potential major changes with the organization. For example, UFC charges $79.99 for its pay-per-view events. WWE dropped the pay-per-view model when it launched its WWE Network in 2014. In 2021, the company signed a deal with NBCUniversal to bring its on-demand channel to the streaming service Peacock. WWE fans enjoy WWE’s monthly special events at no extra cost as part of their Peacock subscription, which starts at $5 per month.
Who is running creative for WWE?
Another concern from WWE fans is in regards to the future role of WWE chief content officer Triple H. The former pro wrestling superstar has been directly involved in booking WWE’s storylines since McMahon’s retirement and many fans believe WWE’s product has been better with Triple H at the helm. According to a leaked internal email that was sent to WWE talent, Triple H will remain in the role, at least for now.
It’s unclear as of now what this merger will actually mean for the fans of WWE and UFC. Will we see Joe Rogan provide commentary on WWE Raw? Will The New Day accompany Jon Jones to the Octagon? Will there be more athletes crossing over between pro wrestling and MMA like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey? I guess we’ll all soon find out.
