WWE has been sold to Endeavor, the price tag is bigger than anyone had expected. Yep, the blockbuster deal, which would see WWE and UFC merged into a new company, values WWE alone at a staggering $9.3 billion.
That’s a lot higher than the current share price, which currently gives the company a market value of $6.79 billion, up 33 percent from the beginning of the year.
“Together we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” McMahon officially commented
In total, as McMahon commented, the new company would have a valuation of around $21 billion, with UFC valued at around $12 billion.
Earlier speculation over a WWE sale thought that prices could reach around $8 billion, with a reported sale to Saudi Arabia not coming to fruition.
The deal would create a new publicly traded company, with Endeavor owning 51% and shareholders getting 49% according to CNBC. The acquisition and the deal may be announced later today, Monday, 3 April 2023. (Update: They have been.)
Who is now the big boss at WWE?
So how would this new company work? Ok so let’s break it down. Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, would also be CEO of this new company, which doesn’t have a name yet.
Might we suggest Combat Sports Entertainment? CSE? Maybe? Ok sure this is why no one asks us.
From there, Vince McMahon, the current Chairman of WWE, would be executive chairman of the new company. Dana White will stay president of UFC, and WWE CEO Nick Khan would become president of the wrestling business of the new company.
This would officially mean that the company, which was originally WWF and before that WWWF, founded by Vince McMahon’s father, would no longer be a family business. Strange times!
Will it hold on to its face? Well, let’s look to the UFC deal for clues. While some people were pushed out in the UFC such as Chuck Liddell, the company has largely kept its identity under Endeavour, with a move towards more international big shows, which the company will likely follow suit.
So will everyone survive the merger? Will all deals survive, such as to Saudi Arabia? That’s still anyone’s guess. For now we can only speculate.