Felix Upton on April 7, 2023
The pro wrestling landscape is about to change in a massive way as WWE agreed to a merger with the UFC. Endeavor will own 51% of Vince McMahon’s company, and it seems that those talks came together rather quickly.
WWE and UFC will merge into a new publicly traded company. This landmark deal in combat sports will also see Vince McMahon retain his power in World Wrestling Entertainment. There were other buyers on the table, but some of them had no interest in keeping Vince McMahon around.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that the first pitch to merge WWE and the UFC was made “three weeks ago” in New York. Then another meeting was held in “late March” at WWE’s headquarters in Stamford. That was all it took to solidify this deal.
The original proposal by Emanuel and Shapiro was made three weeks ago in a meeting with Vince McMahon and Nick Khan at the Raine Group offices in New York. They made a second pitch in late March at the WWE offices in Stamford, CT.
WWE’s deal with the UFC will not see any cash change hands. This is a straight-up merger with the UFC, one that will still see Vince McMahon retain control of WWE’s creative direction. This is exactly what Vince McMahon wanted out of the deal so he can continue in his company, even though it is merging.
We’ll have to see what’s next for the new WWE and UFC merger. They will trade under the stock name TKO, but an official name hasn’t been revealed for the new company. Only time will tell what kind of say Vince has on that name.
What’s your take on this situation with the UFC and WWE? Do you think Vince McMahon should stay away from WWE? Sound off in the comments!
April 7, 2023 7:41 am
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