The possibility of WWE selling to a major media company has been a widely discussed topic in recent years. the Sports Business JournalJohn Aurand offered his educated prediction about what will happen to the pro wrestling promotion Monday, stating that he thinks NBCUniversal will step up and try to buy WWE outright after lobbying for the TV rights to both. Monday Night Raw And the Friday Night SmackDown When negotiations for both offers begin in 2023.
Raw has been back with NBCUniversal since 2005, while Blue Brand has been under the NBCU umbrella from 2010-19. WWE and Fox then agreed to a billion dollar deal that would put SmackDown on network television starting in October 2019, making it the promotion’s new flagship show. WWE also has deals with NBCU to air NXT on USA on Tuesday nights and for the Peacock streaming service to house the WWE Network library and live pay-per-view broadcasts in the United States.
This is precisely what @employee Expect, by the way, regarding WWE and NBCUniversal.https://t.co/M3U0h8aW3c pic.twitter.com/U2DIbwrPBG
– Jon Alba (@JonAlba) December 20, 2022
Update on WWE Sale
WWE experienced a massive change of leadership in 2022 as Vince McMahon resigned from all his positions within the company, surrounded by controversy and a possible federal investigation after it was revealed that he paid nearly $20 million in hush money to various allegations of sexual misconduct. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Kahn became the new co-CEOs while Paul Levesque took over the company’s booking management as Chief Content Officer.
Khan had told Aurand in January that the promotion was not actively seeking a sale but had received some “incoming calls” about the possibility. It was reported shortly after McMahon’s departure that the sale had not proceeded at the time.
One of the beliefs in the business world about WWE was that without Vince McMahon the company would be in danger of financial collapse. The opposite has been proven in the months since McMahon left, as WWE stock reached $80 for the first time since May 2019 at the beginning of December. Sales rumors flared again in October when the stock hit a 52-week high, with CNBC reporting that a sale could happen before TV rights deals are renewed.
However, a wrinkle has been thrown into the equation. While reporting on two other women who came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct, the Wall Street Journal indicated that McMahon was trying to “return” to WWE on the belief that all feuds would have been over if he remained in power. McMahon still holds 80% of the voting power on the WWE Board of Directors, and Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston has indicated that he would be against selling if he were to try to return to the company. According to numerous reports, the top officials in WWE do not want McMahon to return.
It is reported that Vince McMahon wants to return to the $WWE It makes selling the company less likely for the time being, because as a controlling shareholder, he would have to agree.
He clearly didn’t want to give up the control he would need to get back.
– Brandon Thurston December 13, 2022
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