Burning Questions After WWE's Sale

 

After months of speculation WWE has been sold to Endeavor and will be merged with UFC. With that news earlier today, comes plenty of speculation on the direction of WWE once the dust settles and the deal finalized. Even though Triple H aimed to assure everyone that nothing will change, we all know that even if his intentions are for it to not to be that's not the way things go and Endeavor will surely make some changes somewhere along the line.

It will take time for things to get straightened out and decisions to be made, but until that time comes. Here's some burning questions I have regarding the landscape of the WWE after this deal.

What about the staff? 

WWE has a lot of hardworking employees behind the scenes who make sure the well oiled machine has all the right pieces, so we can enjoy the pomp and circumstances that WWE produces. From music, camera angles, video packages, lighting, pyro, make up, seamstress, storyline creation you name it. There are many unsung heroes that go into putting the production together. As well as the office staff back in Connecticut. We all know acquisitions and mergers bring about some unfortunate changes, I sincerely hope those hardworking men and women are left alone.

What about the business model?

Since Vince McMahon started the WWF 40 plus years old the business model has been primarily TV rights, merchandise and licensing, sponsorships and live events, which include house shows. Some would say the house show model is very outdated, to which I would agree. The presentation of it probably needs to be changed, but it's function as testing ground for wrestlers and storylines still has it's purpose. 

With Endeavor coming in, I'm sure the house show model will change and the TV rights.....

What about the TV rights?

WWE will begin negotiations for Smackdown  and Raw this year ahead of it's respective deal's with Fox and NBCUniversal expiring in late 2024. Now with the power of Endeavor behind them, there is no telling what they maybe able to ask for and actually get during these negotiations. I personally just from a comfortably thing hope they stick with Comcast for Raw. Except for those 5 years when they were on TNN/SpikeTV, Monday Night Raw and WWF/E have been synonymous with one another. In fact if you ask the average person what comes on USA network your likely to get Law & Order: SVU repeats, NCIS repeats, and WWE programming. 

Endeavor will be looking for a major return on their investment, so I'm curious if they will still pursue Monday Night Raw being 3 hours for the additional hour of revenue. Or will they be a bit sensible from not overkilling a product and going back to 2 hours.  Where does NXT fit in with all of this?

WWE is also looking to command higher right's fees in international markets, with their focus on hosting more PLE's overseas they may get that as well. We shall see how far networks are willing to spend for programming.

What about the streaming rights?

WWE's licensing deal with Peacock is up in 2026, for another 3 years we are safe from having to buy the individual PPV's or PLE's as WWE likes to call them. Again personally I would be A-ok if WWE and NBCUniversal extended that deal, the main reason is out of convenience I'm just use to going to Peacock to watch the PLE's and historical content. In addition, other than WWE and Bel-Air to me Peacock doesn't have a lot to offer (they don't really utilize their expansive film/TV library to me. That's another story for another day). so they need something to  help set themselves apart.

When the time comes even if Endeavor/WWE went with another streaming provider. The elephant in the room will be PPV's/PLE's. UFC charges for PPV's on ESPN plus at $80 an event, now UFC does not hold big events every month like WWE does so I guess they can justify it. However, next year will be 10 years since the WWE network debuted and changed the game where PPV's were free with a subscription.

By time 2026 comes around it will have been 12 years since fans have had to order per PPV. That is a hard sell trying to force people back to paying per event, especially at $50-$80 each event every month. It will be interesting to see how that turns out, I can tell you for sure this guy right here won't be paying that much to watch the events. 

What's next For Vince McMahon?

Vince McMahon will make a shit ton of money as the primary shareholder from this deal. He will also be taking on the role of Executive Chairman in this new merged company, which will bring in a hefty severance package. He claims he won't be involved in the "weeds" of creative, but he has lied to us several times in the past.

At 77 years old turning 78 in August, honestly what is left for Vince McMahon to achieve or do. He is a shrewd but very cutthroat businessman. He has some serious quirks apparently. His scandal last summer should have humbled him a bit, but it obviously didn't. He is a product of his generation, that has an overwhelming majority of it's members across several sectors that simply refuse to step down and let the next generation(s) lead the way.

For all those things he has against him, whether you love or hate him and how he present's wrestling. His vision and his persistence is why WWE is the juggernaut it is today, why we just came from a weekend featuring 2 nights of WrestleMania and all the other wrestling events that poured into L.A. that capitalized off all the fans being in town for Mania. Because of Vince McMahon and what he did for wrestling, WCW was able to enjoy the high's that it did. Spike TV gave TNA a chance back in the mid-2000's. Warner Bros. got back into the wrestling ring with AEW back in 2019.

With all that what is truly next for Vince McMahon? He has a legacy, his family will be well taken care of for generations. What does he have left to prove? Why not truly enjoy all of his accomplishments, step away and find a new hobby or something.

The next few months to years will be an interesting time in the WWE world, let's brace ourselves for whatever comes.