The merger between WWE and the UFC was made official on Tuesday, creating the new TKO Group Holdings company under the Endeavor corporate umbrella. The deal marks the end of an era for WWE and Vince McMahon as the executive chairman no longer holds independent majority control over the promotion for the first time since he purchased the company from his father in 1982. While McMahon has recently stepped away from the company’s day-to-day operations after a recent spinal surgery and a federal grand jury subpoena, he did still comment on the merger being finalized on Tuesday via a press release.
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“This is the culmination of a decades-long partnership between Endeavor and WWE across strategic initiatives including talent representation and media rights. 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,” McMahon stated.
Will Vince McMahon Remain in Power Following the Merger?
Even though McMahon has faced a number of legal scandals in recent years and claimed to retire in July 2022 only to force his way back into the company months later, it doesn’t sound like Endeavor CEO Ari Emanual has any intentions of parting ways with the 78-year-old promoter anytime soon.
“I would have bodyslammed him if he thought he thought he was going to leave,” Emanuel told CNBC in April when the merger was announced. “Here’s a man who has seen around the corner at every beat over the last 40 years of this business and has a vision of this business way before a lot of people see it. Him now being able to utilize what we’ve built in our flywheel, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I have Vince McMahon, a visionary that sees around the corner, I have Dana White and what we’ve built. That’s pretty unstoppable.”
WWE Superstar Spectacle 2023 Results
- Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Indus Sher (No Contest)
- Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens & Sami Zaun def. Indus Sher (Jinder Mahal, Veer & Sanga)
- Natalya def. Zoey Stark
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Shanky
- Bron Breakker def. Odyssey Jones
- Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Natalya
- John Cena & Seth Rollins def. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
