Nick Khan Teases a "TKO All-Star Weekends" With WWE and UFC Pay-Per-Views
Could WWE and UFC pull off running pay-per-views in the same city on the same weekend?
The merger between WWE and the UFC into TKO Group was made official this week. And while some executives like Dana White have pushed back against the idea of crossovers between the two promotions now that they're in the same company, WWE President Nick Khan already has a major booking opportunity on his mind. While talking with Bill Simmons this week, Khan floated the idea of a "TKO All-Star Weekend" where a single city would host Friday Night SmackDown, a UFC pay-per-view and a WWE premium live event in three consecutive days.
"Yes, what everyone envisions is, can you set up an all-star TKO weekend where SmackDown goes on Friday, UFC on Saturday with pay-per-view, and WWE goes with a premium live event on Sunday. Can you do that from the same city? Certainly, a lot of cost efficiencies there in terms of production, but a lot of revenue efficiencies in terms of upside there as well," Khan said (h/t Fightful).
"Certainly, the fighters and WWE superstars stay separate. Could you have a Ronda Rousey or Brock Lesnar come along who can cross from one to the other? Sure, but that's a once-in-a-decade type of thing. In terms of production, [UFC Exec VP/Operations & Production] Craig Borsari and [WWE Line Producer] Kevin Dunn, they've had a number of conversations on those efficiencies, how it might look, how it might work. Hopefully, we have some news on that in a couple of months," he added.
Vince McMahon Comments on the WWE x UFC Merger
Vince McMahon, fresh off returning from his medical leave, commented on the TKO Group merger in a press release on Tuesday — "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 reportedly made a number of changes remotely to this week's Monday Night Raw. He has not physically appeared at a WWE show in months.
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)