The newly minted TKO Group Holdings has been taking the wrestling world by storm ever since WWE and UFC finalized their merger. The historical collaboration between the two combat sports promotions will hopefully add new financial feathers to the caps of both global businesses. This already seems to be taking place as WWE CEO Nick Khan and WWE Creative Head Triple H have had their paychecks increase exponentially thanks to the merger.
With this information coming to light, one WWE legend has spoken about the massive payouts the WWE heads have received.
Jim Ross rolled his eyes at the massive WWE merger bonus
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The internet has been set ablaze with the discussion regarding WWE’s future moves post the monumental merger. With experts already explaining the areas the unified business model will shed light on, another quarry looms in: how much did the WWE higher-ups draw from the deal?
It has been noted that the individuals sitting at the helm of the WWE world have racked up a lump-sum amount, with Khan being the highest earner of $15 million. The other key members, including Kevin Dunn, Triple H, and Frank Riddick, drew a handsome paycheck as well. Triple H and Frank Riddick ended up taking the same $5 million to their accounts following the big business moves. Soon after, Riddick announced that he would be leaving the promotion to greener pastures.
While their money reflected the prosperous consolidation and the growth of the net worth of the company, it seemingly caught the eyeballs of WWE veteran Jim Ross. When asked about what he thought about the massive payouts, he said it was frustrating that the news about their money-making was making it so big.
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The Hall of Famer noted, ”I’ve never met Frank Riddick. He came after I left, but you know, obviously, he’s done a pretty good job. Got a $5 million payout to walk. Not a bad day. No, and you are going to see some amazing numbers. On what guys are making, which also frustrates the sh*t out of me.”
However, as his co-host pointed out, the news about their new paychecks is public domain. While the heads are making big bucks, there are still concerns on how the merger will affect the new conglomerate’s fighters and wrestlers.
How does the blockbuster merger impact individual wrestlers and the business?
As per the official source, the annualized run-rate cost synergies of the TKO deal will stand somewhere between $50 million to $100 million. Any information on how it will impact fighters’ paychecks or contractual rates is still unknown. But some staff layoffs will surely roll around in the aftermath of the cost-cutting process.
Moving ahead, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel also expressed his confidence in the overall financial growth and the positive fate of the shareholders.
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How do you view Jim Ross’s position on the WWE higher-ups’ inflated pockets from the forming of new TKO Holdings?
Watch the story: Everything About 21 Billion UFC WWE merger