Last week, at this time, a new reality was setting in; after more than forty years, WWE was no longer owned by Vince McMahon. The sports entertainment juggernaut officially merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings, a new publicly traded company that is owned by Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor. While the product and roster have yet to be affected by the change in ownership, the same cannot be said for the makeup of their corporate headquarters. Last Friday, WWE reportedly fired more than one hundred employees, including long-time members of the company and executives in various departments.
Fightful reports that a meeting was held earlier today at Titan Tower with all remaining employees, which McMahon, Emanuel, and Nick Khan all spoke at. It was noted that during their address, McMahon acknowledged Emanuel as his boss and spoke about how he felt the company had stagnated. In McMahon’s opinion, the merger deal will allow WWE to “get to the next level.” This comment reportedly had many rolling their eyes, as the company was doing record business prior to the merger. It led some to draw the conclusion McMahon only made the deal to regain power.
Emanuel noted that he has had a lot of history with WWE and has looked to McMahon for advice and guidance in the past. He also pointed out that his daughter, Ashlee, is working for the company.
It is strange to think about McMahon, a brash billionaire who has often done whatever he wants, for better or worse, having to answer to anyone, let alone a formal boss. McMahon serves as the Executive Chairman of TKO Group Holdings, so while he may have Emanuel as his boss, that appears to be as high up the food chain as his oversight goes. Khan is now the sole WWE President following post-merger reshuffling, and Dana White remains in his role as UFC President. McMahon technically has more power than both Khan and White, and it is interesting to think about what advice or guidance he may have in the mixed martial arts space.
One big name that has already returned to the promotion following its merger with UFC is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The electrifying superstar, who is signed to the William Morris Endeavor talent agency, returned to the WWE fold this past Friday night on WWE Smackdown, verbally jousting with Austin Theory before hitting him with a People’s Elbow.