After months of speculations, WWE finally announced its sale to Endeavor, the UFC’s parent company on Monday. According to the new deal, Vince McMahon’s Stamford-based promotion will merge with UFC to form a new publicly traded company. The combined value of the two companies is said to be in excess of $21 billion.
Since the news broke about WWE’s potential sale a few months ago, Bloomberg reported that Vince McMahon was seeking $9 billion from the deal. Currently, the WWE’s market value stands at approximately $6.5 billion. However, the new deal values the pro-wrestling promotion at $9.3 billion, in what came as a validation for McMahon’s original ask.
When asked about it, ‘The Boss’ had a rather cheeky reply.
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Vince McMahon uses Seth Rollins’ nickname for himself after massive WWE merger
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon sat for an exclusive interview with CNBC’s Scott Wapner to discuss the recent development. When Wapner told Vince that he wanted $9 billion and now has a valuation in excess of his ask, the veteran promoter said, “I’m a visionary.”
Vince borrowed the nickname of Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins to validate himself. Rollins, who made his WWE main roster debut in 2012 as part of The Shield alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, has been a mainstay for the company since. He has been referred to as The Architect, The Authority and Monday Night Messiah, but in October 2022 Rollins said his favorite was The Visionary.
The Visionary, bitch. https://t.co/mGmQcYy6Zd
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) October 4, 2022
Rollins became the Universal Champion for the first time after going over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35. The title currently belongs to his former stablemate Roman Reigns.
Meanwhile, before Vince McMahon decided to use Rollins’ favorite nickname, Ari Emanuel lauded his new partner for being a visionary. Emanuel told Wapner that McMahon was able to spot cable when no one else could. He also spoke about several other ideas Vince pioneered, including reaching directly to consumers.
Vince McMahon to become executive chairman of newly merged company
According to an official press release, Ari Emanuel will lead the new company as its Chief Executive Officer. He will simultaneously continue as the Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor. Vince McMahon will serve as the Executive Chairman of the Board.
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Mark Shapiro will operate as the President and Chief Operating Officer of both Endeavor and the new company, while Dana White will continue as the UFC President. Dwayne Johnson’s childhood buddy and the current CEO of WWE, Nick Khan, will serve as the President of the Stamford-based company.
The release said that the new board will consist of 11 members- six from Endeavor and five from WWE. Endeavor will keep 51 percent controlling interest in the new company, while WWE shareholders will have the remaining 49 percent interest in the new company.
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Watch This Story: Connor McGregor and Others React as UFC’s Parent Company Is Reportedly Buying WWE, Vince McMahon’s Billion Dollar Business Empire
Both WWE and UFC have had crossovers in the past. Brock Lesnar went from WWE to become the UFC champion at one point. Similarly, UFC’s Ronda Rousey has won championships after her WWE debut. With the new merger, will WWE and UFC witness more crossovers in the near future? Do let us know in the comments.