WWE to Reportedly Go Through Massive Changes as McMahon Family Loses Majority Shares in $21.4 Billion TKO Merger

Five months after announcing the historic merger with UFC, WWE and the top MMA promotion finally fused to form a $21.4 billion empire under a new name. They are now under the majority ownership of Endeavor, UFC’s parent company, but will ply under TKO. With the merger coming to fruition on September 12, 2023, Vince McMahon, pro wrestling impresario and previous owner of the promotion, has lost his majority shares. Now there are rumors that the Stamford-based promotion will go through changes.

Though they haven’t been confirmed yet, the changes could have a deep impact on the WWE Universe.

What are the possible changes according to rumors?

It is not unnatural for a company to go through a revamp after a change in management. This is the likely case for WWE. As per several reports citing one singular source, WWE will undergo four changes.

According to BWE, these are going to consist of revamps, alternative names, weight classes, and trios. WWE has had weight classes in the promotion before. The Cruiserweight Championship, held by many prominent names, was active for 11 years from 1996 to 2007.

However, many fans have protested the idea of a revamped weight class. Fans have argued that if it is implemented, it will force some wrestlers to fight the same opponent over and over again.

On the other hand, some have hailed the concept of trios and new belts. AEW has already implemented trios, which feature a team of three wrestlers instead of the traditional tag team of two with success. Now, the WWE Universe could have a similar experience to their AEW counterparts.

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Meanwhile, the rumored changes will uproot many norms that were established by the McMahon family during their run as the majority owners. So, where do they stand now?

What is Vince McMahon’s share percentage after the TKO merger?

In 1982, Vincent Kennedy McMahon paid $1 million to his father, Vincent James McMahon, to acquire WWE. Forty-one years later, he sold it to Endeavor for a whopping $9.3 billion. There were rumors of McMahon looking to sell his company since the start of this year. While many interesting names, including Saudi investors, did the rounds as potential buyers, McMahon stunned a section of the industry by revealing the new owners in April.

As per official press releases, Vince McMahon and WWE now owns 49% of the shares, while Endeavor became the majority owner with 51% of the company shares.

While it has relegated him and his family to minority owners, the $9.3 billion deal he managed to crack is still more than WWE’s current market value of $8 billion. McMahon has also been named as the head of the new TKO board. That said, will the new rumored changes strike a chord with Vince McMahon and the WWE faithful? We’ll have to wait and see how the future unfolds.

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Meanwhile, tell us your views on the proposed plans. Sound off in the comments.