WWE Layoffs Begin: Full List of Talent Released Following UFC Merger (Updated)
Company-wide layoffs within WWE will continue throughout the day.
WWE is officially under the Endeavor umbrella. Following Vince McMahon's sale of his family's longtime sports-entertainment company to Endeavor this past April, the $9.3 billion deal was closed earlier this week. As a result of the sale, WWE has merged with Endeavor's other sporting asset, UFC, and is now publicly-traded with the mixed martial arts giant under the stock ticker "TKO." While top executives from both WWE and UFC have emphasized that there will be no crossover within their on-screen talent, the same cannot be said for their behind-the-scenes staffs. WWE and UFC's corporate teams will now work together as one, meaning there are a number of duplicate positions upon the initial merge. As a result, company-wide layoffs have been expected for months.
WWE Begins Corporate Layoffs
As reported by PWInsider, WWE Executive Vice President of Development and Digital Jamie Horowitz and WWE Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing Catherine Newman are no longer with the company following the merger with UFC.
Horowitz began his WWE tenure in June 2021 after serving as the Executive Vice President of Global Content at pay-per-view streamer DAZN. Horowitz was a direct hire of Nick Khan, who now holds the position of WWE CEO.
Newman started with WWE in June 2022 following a run as Chief Marketing Officer at Manchester United Media. Within WWE, Newman oversaw marketing, brand, community relations, entertainment relations, creative services, and photography.
WWE's Director, Enterprise Master Data & Governance Amanda Bloom has exited the company as well. Bloom had been with WWE for seven years and helped lead the technology department's usage of Metadata.
More corporate layoffs are expected as WWE's entire corporate office is working remotely today.
"We are asking that everyone work remotely, Friday September 15th, so we can insure all conversations are handled privately and respectfully," WWE CEO Nick Khan said in an internal email earlier this week.
Are WWE Talent Releases Coming?
According to Haus of Wrestling, there are expected to be "major cuts" within both the WWE main roster as well as NXT. There is no indication as to when these talent releases will begin but it was noted that they have been "planned for some time."
It's worth noting that WWE has been on a hiring freeze for the majority of 2023 as it shopped itself to potential buyers and awaited the sale to Endeavor to be made official. This hiring freeze resulted in WWE not signing top free agents like Jay White, Tama Tonga, Nick Aldis and others.
This story is developing...
