The merger between UFC and WWE has been officially completed. Endeavor acquired the professional wrestling company earlier this year, and on Tuesday, the TKO Group officially launched and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
TKO has been valued at $21.4 billion, with Endeavor owning a majority 51% stake and WWE shareholders receiving a 49% stake. The TKO board includes key members from UFC and WWE, with Vince McMahon serving as executive chairman of TKO and Dana White taking on the role of UFC CEO. Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, will also be the CEO of TKO, and Mark Shapiro, an executive at Endeavor, will be TKO’s president and chief operating officer. Nick Khan will act as WWE president.
It is expected that UFC and WWE will continue to operate as separate entities, according to Lawrence Epstein, UFC senior executive vice president and chief operating officer. White will oversee the day-to-day operations of UFC, while Paul Levesque will be in charge of WWE creative. There is potential for the two organizations to hold major events in the same city on the same weekend and collaborate when negotiating with tourism authorities.
The ultimate goal is to have every UFC fan be a WWE fan and vice versa.
The merger also opens up opportunities for crossovers between the two organizations. Wrestlers like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey have already won world championships in both UFC and WWE. Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently acted as a special guest referee at WWE’s Extreme Rules event in October. Cormier was present at the opening of the TKO Group on the New York Stock Exchange.
The idea is that UFC fighters will focus on UFC, while WWE superstars will continue to perform in the wrestling ring. However, there may be potential for UFC personalities to transition to WWE after their fighting careers are over.
The news of the merger first made headlines in April during WrestleMania 39.
