WWE, UFC officially merge after recent Endeavor announcement
After decades of being run by the McMahon family, WWE is now officially owned by Endeavor after being merged with UFC.
Ever since the 1980s, Vince McMahon has been the figurehead behind WWE and during his reign, he forever changed the sport of pro wrestling. Monday marked the last day that the McMahon family would own the promotion, as Endeavor’s acquisition has been finalized. Many believed that he’d have left the company for either his son, Shane McMahon, or his daughter Stephanie McMahon Levesque.
Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel announced the closures of both WWE and UFC and the formation of TKO Group Holdings Monday. Additionally, it was also confirmed that Emanuel would continue as the CEO of both TKO and Endeavor.
Dana White will be the CEO of UFC going forward, with Lawrence Epstein as the Senior EVP and COO of UFC. Lastly, Vince McMahon will lead the TKO Board of Directors and Nick Khan will remain the President of WWE.
“The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as leaders in global sports and entertainment,” Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO said.“Given their continued connectivity to the Endeavor network, we are confident in our ability to accelerate their respective growth and unlock long-term sustainable value for shareholders. With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.”
Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon also addressed the merger and had the following to say:
“This is the culmination of a decades-long partnership between Endeavor and WWE across strategic initiatives including talent representation and media rights,” McMahon said. “Given our collaborative, trusted relationship and Endeavor’s incredible track record of success growing UFC, we believe WWE is optimally positioned for future growth and success as part of TKO. Our focus remains on delivering for our fans across the globe as we take the business to the next level alongside UFC and Endeavor.”
(h/t: Business Insider).
Some fans have been anxious about what the merger will mean for the direction of the promotion going forward. While the UFC-WWE merger hasn’t affected Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s role as Head of Creative Booking for the promotion, he will not be a member of the TKO Board.
Vince McMahon allegedly made last-minute changes to last night’s WWE RAW
McMahon’s booking decisions might have been praised decades ago, but fans have not been happy with them lately. Vince cultivated a reputation for making drastic last-minute changes to WWE RAW and SmackDown. Allegedly McMahon did it again last night according to Dave Meltzer. McMahon was said to have taken a leave of absence while recovering from his spinal surgery.
It remains to be seen if Vince McMahon will continue to make last-minute adjustments to WWE shows going forward. Some fans believe that McMahon was always going to return at some stage and that the Endeavor acquisition was only to secure his power. Only time will tell if this fan theory holds ground or not.
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