On April 2nd it was reported that WWE is set to be sold.
The report from CNBC’s Alex Sherman stated that the deal with Endeavor could be announced as soon as April 3rd.
Sherman added that WWE and UFC — also owned by Endeavor — are expected to form a new publicly traded company.
However, news of the deal has not got down well with fans on social media. The deal became an instant discussion point on Reddit, with a number of fans expressing concern that WWE’s pay-per-view/Premium Live Event model could change dramatically. For reference, UFC pay-per-views are usually priced at around $80.
The news was also greeted with a great deal of backlash on Twitter for much the same reason.
Vince McMahon Returned To WWE To Help Sell The Company
Vince McMahon retired from WWE in July 2022, surrounded by a sexual misconduct scandal. However, on January 6th he reinstated himself to the Board of Directors along with two associates. This came after an earlier attempt to regain control of the company was blocked by the Board.
Once back, two serving Board members quit and Stephanie McMahon also left the company.
Since Vince returned, both he and the company were adamant he was only back as Executive Chairman to help in selling WWE. However, there have been reports that the billionaire has been involved with creative.
This speculation reached a new high at night one of WrestleMania 39 when it was revealed that he spent the show sat in Gorilla with a headset on. Furthermore, McMahon was giving feedback and was much more involved than when he visited Monday Night Raw on March 6th.