Is Vince McMahon still involved in the WWE as Endeavour confirm UFC merger deal - how much did WWE sell for?
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The WWE has been sold by Vince McMahon to Endeavour Group Holdings to form a multi-billion dollar live sports brand merger with the UFC. The deal was announced on Monday (April 3) just days after WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood, California.
It brings an end to roughly 70 years of the pro-wrestling promotion being run by the McMahon family. The partnership has been described as a “global live sports and entertainment company”.
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Hide AdConfirming the acquisition and subsequent merger in a statement, WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon said: “Together, we will be a $21-plus billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity.
“The new company will be well positioned to maximise the value of our combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster our strong stable of brands.”
Control of the WWE will be held by Endeavour who have a majority stake of 51%, while the remaining 49% has been shared across all of its shareholders.
It is understood that they have beaten the likes of Premier League football club Newcastle United’s owners Saudi Public Investment Fund, as well as Comcast, Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, Amazon and Discover to the deal.
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Hide AdVince McMahon’s grandfather, Jess McMahon, and father, Vincent J. McMahon, founded the company which was first known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation in 1953. It later became the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the World Wrestling Federation and now World Wrestling Entertainment.
Vince McMahon Sr sold the company to his son in 1982 and it has since become a global juggernaut, airing across the globe and reaching millions of people in person and on the small screen.
Here is everything you need to know about Endeavour’s WWE and UFC merger deal. This includes the total fee paid to acquire the sports entertainment company, as well as whether Vince McMahon will return to creative, replacing son-in-law Paul Levesque (Triple H).
How much did Endeavour buy WWE for?
The total transaction and fee paid by Endeavour to purchase the WWE and merge with the UFC is $21.4 billion (£17.1 billion). The UFC was valued at $12.1 billion (£9.6 billion) while the WWE was acquired for $9.3 billion (£7.4 million).
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Hide AdWill Vince McMahon and Triple H be involved in WWE creative after the Endeavour UFC merger?
After the merger was announced, especially if April 3’s episode of Monday Night Raw is anything to go by, Vince McMahon has returned to his role as being in charge of the creative decisions at the company. Sources close to the WWE have told Fightful Select and other wrestling outlets that the 77-year-old played a major role at the show, sitting in Guerilla position and making last-minute decisions and script changes which allegedly lowered locker room morale.
Paul Levesque’s role at the company, which after Vince initially retired in 2022, saw him rise to WWE’s chief content executive and head of creative. But after the acquisition, it is yet to be determined but rumours suggest he will still be involved in decisions in some shape or form.
Fans have reacted negatively overall to Vince McMahon’s return and the expected pushback of Triple H. It is regarded by many on social media that the billionaire has “lost his touch” with the modern wrestling fan and that they much preferred recent months of WWE programming which were spearheaded by his son-in-law.
Does the UFC merger deal mean Conor McGregor will come to WWE?
Conor McGregor has long teased an appearance at the WWE, as fans will remember the Irish fighter starting online feuds with all of the wrestling company’s major superstars and big names over the years. With the merger with UFC, McGregor’s participation in pro-wrestling is definitely far more likely, but it is yet to be determined what if any crossover will take place between both sports corporations.
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