WWE & UFC Title Belts In Place At New York Stock Exchange
A historic day is upon the wrestling world as WWE and UFC get set for their merger.
On the day after WrestleMania 39, WWE and Endeavor announced a deal for Ari Emanuel’s company to take over the reins from Vince McMahon after 40 years and merge the sports entertainment giant with the UFC.
Both brands will operate under a new company named TKO Group Holdings with Vince McMahon moving to be that company’s Executive Chairman. Nick Khan will move from his role as WWE CEO to the company’s President, aligning his role with that of Dana White in UFC.
It was reported that the takeover would be completed on the 12th of September 2023, and the scene at the New York Stock Exchange is clearly one celebrating TKO Group’s public launching, confirming that the takeover is now complete.
A photo from outside the NYSE was shared by Ariel Helwani showing two huge title belts representing both WWE and UFC standing next to each other:
This is the view outside the New York Stock Exchange this AM.
Massive day for UFC, WWE and Endeavor.
TKO Group Holdings will trade on the New York Stock Exchange as of today under the ticker symbol TKO. The deal is official. pic.twitter.com/ugmLXfEK3Y
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 12, 2023
What will the future hold for WWE?
The future remains to be seen but the sports entertainment goliath will continue to run as its own entity separate from UFC. The two promotions will share a Board of Directors of TKO Group with 5 of those members being nominated by WWE and six by Endeavor.
Vince McMahon’s power is widely considered to be consolidated as a result of the takeover with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel previously noting that he did not want McMahon to walk away from the business after his short-lived retirement in 2022.