In an interview with the Sports Business Journal, Endeavor president Mark Shapiro said they are going to run WWE using the UFC playbook.
UFC’s playbook for WWE will be the focus on growing sponsorship, licensing, hospitality and ticket sales, in addition to developing WWE’s talent through unscripted shows, movies and endorsements.
Shapiro further said that Endeavor will take the opportunity to put Vince McMahon’s creative mind along with Dana White and Ari Emanuel, to create a significant amount of value for company shareholders.
It was announced Monday morning that WWE will be sold to Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.
WWE has begun the process by signing “a definitive agreement.” The agreement will see WWE merge with UFC to create a new publicly listed company. 51% of the company will be owned by Endeavor, and 49% will be owned by existing WWE shareholders.
The name of the new company has not been announced, but it will trade under the stock ticker symbol “TKO.” There will be regulatory hurdles to overcome to make this deal complete, but if all goes well, it is projected to be finalized in the second half of 2023.
According to the press release, UFC has an enterprise value of $12.1 billion, while WWE has an enterprise value of $9.3 billion. Combined, the new company will be worth over $21 billion.
The new company will be led by Ari Emanuel as Chief Executive Officer (he is also CEO of Endeavor), Vince McMahon as Chairman of the Board, and Mark Shapiro as President and Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor and the new company. Dana White will continue on as President of UFC, and Nick Khan will remain the President of WWE. The Board of Directors will be announced at a later date and will consist of 11 individuals, six appointed by Endeavor and five by WWE.