Tag: TKO

JNPO: What did John Pollock learn about wrestling in 2025?

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a snowed in edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, warm up by the podcast fire with the returning ⁠John Pollock⁠ of ⁠Post Wrestling⁠.

The guys talk for nearly an hour on what they learned about wrestling in 2025 with some hot takes about WWE, AEW, wrestlers, leadership and even some Linkin Park. (Yes, that Linkin Park.)

For example: Is TKO good for WWE and pro wrestling? Is WBD as good a partner to AEW as Netflix is for WWE? What is happening with DWAYNE and Triple H? Why are the rosters so damn bloated in the middle?

Revelations await. Join us.

Click here to listen for free or stream for free on either Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Just search Wrestling Observer.

New documents show Endeavor execs anticipated Vince McMahon’s 2023 return & selling to them

Posted on by Josh Nason

Newly revealed documents and text messages revealed that a key executive that now heads up TKO was confident about Vince McMahon’s return to WWE in 2023 and that he would sell the company to Endeavor — a prediction that turned out to be accurate.

The report comes courtesy of Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston in association with Post Wrestling who obtained the documents and revealed the information Monday, including images of text messages from newly disclosed records as part of the current WWE shareholder lawsuit.

The suit claims that McMahon was in violation of his fiduciary duties by arranging for WWE to merge with UFC to create TKO, a move done to keep him in power rather than get the best deal for WWE shareholders.

One of the key messages is from Mark Shapiro, who heads up TKO and was also a higher-up at Endeavor, sent to current TKO chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer and then-Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin.

“Nick and Stephanie are going to take over the WWE for the next nine months. Vince [will] be back with a new board or he will take the company private or he will sell it/coming to us. The race is on. The courtship is on,” Shapiro wrote.

“Nick” is Nick Khan and “Stephanie” is Stephanie McMahon. The text was sent on July 22, 2002 — the same day Vince McMahon announced his “retirement.” It’s unclear why Shapiro was so confident, or accurate, with his assessment.

Vince McMahon returned less than six months later in January 2023, placing himself back on the WWE Board with the intent to sell the company. The deal with Endeavor then came together three months later.

**********

Thurston noted that the documents reveal that Vince McMahon and Endeavor head/agent Ari Emanuel were communicating during the timeframe in which he stepped down and then returned, arranging for an August 2022 dinner with Emanuel, Stephanie McMahon and Khan. It was noted there is nothing illegal about such a meeting given McMahon’s stature as that time as WWE’s primary shareholder.

There was also an exchange that same month with Emanuel offering backstage passes to a Bill Burr comedy show at Boston’s Fenway Park. While some of the exchange, in addition to an unknown download link and attachments, is redacted, one line from Emanuel is not: “I will be your greatest partner.”

It’s unclear if Emanuel was alluding to the impending deal.

There was also an August 2022 exchange where Emanuel offered to fly from Paris to Italy to meet McMahon after the now-former TKO chairman McMahon met with a senior banker who served as WWE’s financial advisor during the sale process. That same banker had worked with Endeavor previously as well as McMahon as part of his 2020 XFL re-launch.

Executives from Liberty Media, a group who was also interested in WWE, sent internal emails after the April 2023 merger announcement, saying they felt the deal was “pre-wired” and already arranged before the formal bid process kicked off.

**********

One of the exchanges from the extensive article showed McMahon texted with Khan about creative in February 2023, asking if Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes were aware of “new creative” for WrestleMania that year and the year after, noting he had asked both Paul Levesque and Bruce Prichard.

Khan replied “Langis” to which McMahon didn’t have any idea what he meant. Khan told him to read the word backward which is assumed to be Signal, the encrypted messaging app.

From Thurston:

“That interaction, regarding “new creative,” runs counter to Khan’s statement a month later on CNBC that McMahon wasn’t involved in the creative process. The public record doesn’t show more about what “new creative” McMahon was referring to or whether he had any influence in Roman Reigns’ win over Cody Rhodes in the main event of that year’s WrestleMania, an outcome that surprised many fans.”

The shareholder lawsuit is set to go to trial in June 2026 with the discovery phase nearing an end with financial restitution possible if the plaintiffs win the case.

‘Ring boy’ lawsuit against WWE & McMahons will continue but with changes

Posted on by Josh Nason

A judge has ruled that the ongoing lawsuit stemming from former WWF ring boys being sexually assaulted in the 1980s and early 1990s by a ring announcer will continue.

However, there are some changes to the lawsuit itself according to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston who reported the news on X.

Filed in October, the lawsuit accuses Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, TKO and WWE of kboth nowing and ultimately doing nothing to to prevent Mel Phillips’ sexual assault of underage boys. Phillips, who has since died, was fired by WWE in 1992 after the allegations became public.

Longtime WWE official Pat Patterson and former WWE wrestler Koko B. Ware have also been named as the list of plaintiffs has grown to eight people over time.

There have been efforts on the defendants’ side to get the case thrown out, but to no avail.

According to Thurston, Judge James Bredar of the U.S. District Court in Maryland via a ruling and 48-page opinion, has ordered the case to continue but with separation on who the plaintiffs have claims against.

“The defendants had asked the court to dismiss all the claims for lack of jurisdiction among other reasons. This ruling narrowly rejects that motion. The defendants’ filings up to this point nor the judge have responded yet to the merits of the ring boys’ claims of abuse,” Thurston wrote.

One plaintiff — John Doe 7 — is no longer involved following the ruling as his claims have been “dismissed without prejudice” which means their case can refiled at a later date but within the statute of limitations if new evidence emerges or other factors.

John Does 2 and 6’s claims remain against Linda McMahon while the rest remain against Vince McMahon and WWE/TKO.

TKO announces ‘official truck partner of WWE,’ partnership details

Posted on by Josh Nason

Earlier this week, TKO head Mark Shapiro teased a big announcement for a new sponsor by year’s end in a category he has always wanted.

On Thursday, that became a reality as WWE & UFC’s parent company announced a multi-year partnership with Ram Trucks that also includes TKO’s Professional Bull Riders. The deal begins in January and will see Ram “integrated within major live events and premier content across all three brands.”

It was alluded to in the release that Ram will have a ring mat presence in WWE in addition to the UFC’s Octagon and the PBR bucking chute.

Recognized as the “official truck partner of WWE,” Ram will “maintain a significant presence” on SmackDown and various PLEs like WrestleMania and SummerSlam. It was also revealed that Ram will be a presenting partner at next month’s Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.

UFC head Dana White has done voice work for a Ram ad that began airing this year. Ram will also be a presenting partner for selected future UFC numbered events (former PPVs).

TKO exec gives update on WWE archives & NXT PLE availability, Paramount/WBD possibilities

Posted on by Josh Nason

There is now an update on the future availability of archived WWE content in addition to WWE NXT premium live events.

During an appearance at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference (full audio below), TKO head Mark Shapiro was asked about those two entities and said regarding the archives, they are working on a non-exclusive deal and expect to have something to announce in the first quarter of 2026. The deal with Peacock to carry most WWE archive content expires at year’s end.

Regarding NXT PLEs, they haven’t gone to market yet but Shapiro said there is “no rush” to do so as they want to be both “deliberate and thoughtful” about the process. The deal with Peacock to carry NXT PLEs expires in March 2026.

**********

Shapiro said he is “thrilled that the industrial logic” of bringing two IP properties like WWE and UFC together has been “validated,” adding they are a year ahead of schedule on their pro forma (a forward-looking financial document that forecasts future performance based on certain assumptions).

He put over WWE as still having a “monster runway” and reiterated how revenue streams that weren’t previously tapped into, especially on the partnership side, are paying off. He strongly complimented Nick Khan, Paul Levesque, their teams and their media partners and that the company “couldn’t be better primed” for more success ahead.

As part of that, he is confident ESPN head Jimmy Pitaro will get the process “moving fast” of greenlighting various cable providers to sync with ESPN, giving their subscribers free access to ESPN’s new streaming service as part of their cable subscription.

He also credited Disney with a successful Wrestlepalooza launch, saying the company sent them a ten-page document on their plan to promote WWE on ESPN and that both sides “couldn’t have been happier. No notes.”

**********

There was a lot of talk about UFC launching on Paramount and how they feel UFC is “clearly a beneficiary” of how much Paramount wants the relationship to work, saying they are “bold, dynamic, going to make moves and give us broad reach.”

He also hinted at a potential future, saying, “If Paramount can get WBD, I like a world where we could potentially live on HBO or TNT,” noting they are sports destinations fans are used to.

On the White House show front, they are still trying to figure out what they can and can’t do, but promised the show “will be a spectacle. If you thought The Sphere was a spectacle, this will be a spectacle on steroids.” He said Dana White and Hunter Campbell are putting together a “sensational fight card” and that there will be no ticket sales.

**********

He said sponsorships/partnerships continue to be strong and they are close on another major deal, similar to the ones they have with DoorDash and Polymarket and in a category he has always wanted to be in, expecting it to close by year’s end.

He said there are “no signs of weakness across the board” when it comes to live events and that they continue to be “taking advantage of the experience economy.” He complimented White on his ability to “curate” influencers on social media which has maximized their opportunities, awareness and engagement across YouTube and TikTok.

He said they have increased their “fan TAM” (total addressable market) due to people sampling UFC, and they are seeing the results in ticket sales, margins and their hospitality business due to fans wanting a one of a kind experience.

Shapiro said they are continuing to get increased calls from interested parties in bringing WWE or UFC to their city and are willing to work with them on subsidies or financial incenvtives for them to do so.

He also reiterated they are “not hunting for new properties” at the moment.

Click here to listen

Federal lawsuit filed against John Cena, WWE & TKO

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

The time is now…for a new federal lawsuit filed against John Cena, TKO and WWE.

First reported by Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston on Thursday, the suit filed Tuesday in the Southern District Court of New York accuses Cena, WWE, TKO and others of using an unlicensed sample from a 1974 recording cover by Canadian bandleader Pete Schofield.

That sample is alleged to appear in Cena’s “The Time Is Now” entrance music he has used for years.

“The dispute centers around the iconic horn arrangements that introduce and play throughout the theme,” he wrote.

Schofield has since passed with the lawsuit filed by his daughter, Kim, who claims she owns the copyrights to the music, also claiming it’s an original arrangement. Despite the song being a cover of a song by Bobby Russell, she said the horn intro and outro were originally added by her father and came from an instrumental cover of “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”.

Aside from the three defendants above, producer Jacob Brian Dutton, music publisher Pix-Russ Music, and Cynthia Jo Russell, widow of Bobby Russell and co-owner of his recording, were named. They have 21 days to respond under federal court rules after officially being served court papers which could be up to 60 days if they waive the delivery.

Why has this not come up before?

“Schofield alleges that in 2017, she reached a written settlement with WWE and received a one-time payment of $50,000. However, she now claims WWE withheld key information during negotiations to induce her to sign the agreement,” Thurston wrote, later noting Schofield said she became aware of Cena’s theme in 2015 when a reporter reached out to her.

She is seeking that agreement to be invalidated and also damages of more than $150,000.

The lawsuit alleged Dutton used the sample in 2003. Thurston included a YouTube video in his article that shows Dutton in it, displaying a Schofield album cover “while explaining how he looped its intro and outro to build the beat.” In the video, he said he got $60,000 for his work, later saying in an ESPN article that it was $30,000 for three beats.

“The family settled with WWE in 2017 for $50,000. Schofield now asks the court to void that agreement, saying WWE withheld information about the long-term use of the sample and an upcoming national ad campaign,” Thurston wrote in his detailed piece.

Nick Khan outlines plans for Zuffa Boxing, amendments to Muhammad Ali Act

Posted on by Ian Carey

Nick Khan laid out his case for amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act today on The Pat McAfee Show.

Khan appeared on the show to promote TKO’s plans for Zuffa Boxing, and the proposed amendments the company wants to add to the Ali Act, which was enacted in 2000 to protect fighters from exploitive promoters among other aims.

The amendments, introduced this summer, would allow Zuffa Boxing to create its own rankings, title fights, and divisions outside of traditional sanctioning bodies.

Khan said:

“Everything that the act already has, will stay the same,” Khan said on the show.

“If you’re a fighter and you want to continue with it, nothing changes. This is presenting an ‘or,’ a different option where if you want to come into a unified boxing organization like Zuffa, or anyone else who wants to create a unified boxing organization, come here, fight with us, we’ll have own rankings system, the champion will fight the number one contender, just like in the UFC.”

Regarding how Zuffa will rank its fighters and determine title challengers, he said they will use a system similar to The Ring Magazine, throwing in a Ric Flair reference in his description.

“We’re basing our model, in part, on The Ring’s model, the champion fights the number one contender. The lineal champion, if you will. To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man, not to make this about Ric Flair, but that’s exactly what you have to do for the Ring Championship belt. It would be the same thing in Zuffa.”

Critics of the amendments believe they gut key protections in the act, including financial transparency, which could lead to exploitation of fighters. Further concerns exist regarding reduced protection from promoter/manager overlap and that the changes give too much control to a unified boxing organization, such as Zuffa.

The California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously to support the proposed amendments in October.

Shortly after, The Association of Professional Boxing Commissions released a statement calling the amendments “an abomination.”

“This so-called Revival Act, however, is a disgrace as it will open the door for self serving ‘Unified Boxing Organizations’ (UBOs) to operate outside the current sanctioning framework, effectively allowing one corporation, in this case T.K.O. Group, to both regulate and promote under its own banner,” said said APBC President Albert Low.

Combat sports regulatory lawyer and founder of combatsportslaw.com, Erik Magraken, spoke to The Guardian about the proposed amendments in August, saying:

“It guts the key protections from the Ali Act for promoters that choose to use the ‘unified boxing organization’ model. It allows a promoter to control rank and title … and achieve a stranglehold on the sport.”

Khan’s full appearance on The Pat McAfee Show is available below:

Lana: TKO has ‘really strict rules and regulations’ for WWE tickets

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Under the TKO Group umbrella, complimentary WWE tickets are no longer as freely available to talent and former wrestlers as they once were.

Lana — who is under a Legends contract with WWE — appeared on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast and noted that she bought her own ticket to Survivor Series: WarGames this past weekend. She has no problem doing so and — along with going to Survivor Series to support her friend Liv Morgan — has needed to purchase a ticket every time she’s gone to watch her husband Rusev perform since his WWE return.

“It’s a little weird situation. I think that’s all TKO,” Lana said about the ticketing process. “You know, when TKO came on, a lot of these changes, like, you have to buy tickets. Everyone has to buy tickets. Yeah, like everyone. Liv had to get all the tickets for her whole family and everything. My husband had to buy — it was like, to bring his whole family in at WrestleMania when he debuted and me, it was $5,000, like, had to buy for the suite.

“And it’s all TKO. This isn’t [Triple H], this isn’t Bruce [Prichard], this isn’t — I mean, John Cohn, you’re the best, I love you so much. And so, like, John Cohn is always trying to give us a deal, you know? He’s talent relations, he was a ref for a long time, he’s literally the best. So there’s all these really strict rules and regulations.”

Lana said she loves going to wrestling shows and has so much fun at them. She admits that the TKO process is a “little crazy,” but she has no problem showing support for her friends or the product itself.

“I don’t have a problem paying for tickets, because I believe in these people. I believe in Liv Morgan. Of course I’m going to buy a ticket for her return,” Lana said. “I love her. I love wrestling in general. Of course we’re going to go see Miro, you know? He’s had to buy tickets numerous amounts of time. Every time I’ve gone to see Rusev, he’s bought the ticket. So those are the new TKO [rules].”

Former WWE talent Scarlett Bordeaux also noted last month that it became more difficult to get comp tickets during the TKO era. Bordeaux said TKO’s increased ticket prices were a point of discussion in the WWE locker room as well.

TKO announces WWE & UFC partnership with DoorDash

Posted on by Josh Nason

While many WWE and UFC fans have used DoorDash to get food during big events, TKO has brought all the brands together as part of a new partnership.

Announced on Thursday, “DoorDash will have a prominent presence across WWE’s and UFC’s most high-profile moments and platforms, including live events and broadcasts, and will also leverage the massive presence WWE has across social media and digital by collaborating on original content featuring WWE Superstars.”

DoorDash will be a presenting partner of a future WWE premium live event and a future UFC numbered event with “multiple branded touch points from the promotional lead up to the in-broadcast action.”

No financial terms or a start date were disclosed. DoorDash is being recognized as TKO’s “official on-demand delivery partner.”

Bringing in new sponsors and partners has been paramount for TKO leadership as noted by company leader Mark Shapiro frequently throughout the last few years on investor calls and appearances.

TKO enters into Polymarket partnership for UFC, boxing 

Posted on by Josh Nason

TKO announced on Thursday that they are bringing prediction markets to both the UFC and Zuffa Boxing via industry leader Polymarket.

WWE’s parent company signed a multi-year deal “to integrate prediction market technology directly into the live fan experience. Polymarket will create a new storytelling metric, visualizing fan sentiment and perceived momentum that complements, not competes with, regulated sports betting.”

The partnership will see integration on live UFC shows and social media. Broadcasts will feature what is being called a “fan prediction scoreboard” that will visualize “how fans around the world are forecasting each fight as it unfolds” in order to measure “the unofficial pulse” of fans for every show.

WWE was not mentioned in the release.

The technology will be integrated starting in January 2026 when UFC debuts on Paramount+ as part of their new seven-year, $7.7 billion domestic media rights contract.

Polymarket is also known for being a betting market of sorts for political races.

TKO head thinks WWE needs to be ‘moving past’ Vince McMahon-created PLEs

Posted on by Josh Nason

TKO president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro has never been shy about pointing out perceived Vince McMahon’s business flaws from his ticketing strategy to his lack of in-arena and in-ring advertising.

In a recent interview with sports media reporter Andrew Marchand, he also made it clear he wants to seemingly wants to move past some of McMahon’s past pay-per-view creations.

Shapiro was talking about the work ethics of WWE president Nick Khan and creative head Paul “Triple H” Levesque and how they are always open to new ideas and ready to “take on a new shot, a new risk, a new opportunity” which includes new events like Wrestlepalooza.

“Right now, a lot of our PLEs were really created by Vince McMahon. We need to get in the business of taking that torch and moving past that. Nick (Khan) and Triple H created Wrestlepalooza, which is the launch event for our new ESPN deal which did incredibly well and may turn into a super franchise. Not to mention from a merch standpoint, I don’t need to tell you, securing the IP rights and then selling merch out at Wrestlepalooza. Let’s just say it was a real winner,” he said.

Shapiro didn’t go into why he feels that way or if that is a corporate directive to Khan. He also made news for the interview as he called Fox “a little lazy” in how they approached selling UFC when they held TV rights.

In the TKO era, WWE has yet to abandon long-standing event names like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber — all of which were created in the McMahon era. Even the names of their trademark TV shows haven’t changed.

WOR: TKO/WWE business, Ridge Holland, WON Awards talk

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we discussed:

  • TKO business
  • Ridge Holland
  • Ben Askren’s comeback
  • Megan Bayne’s busy schedule
  • Victor Conte and steroids in baseball
  • WON Awards

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

TKO signs another media rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

The relationship between WWE/UFC parent company TKO and Paramount/Skydance continues to deepen with news of yet another media rights deal.

Announced on Wednesday morning, the Professional Bull Riders league will head to the David Ellison-backed Paramount+ streaming service starting this December. It’s a five-year deal that is exclusive to the streamer with no financial details disclosed.

The streamer will air live coverage of the PBR Unleash The Beast season, described as “the highest level of individual bull riding competition spanning five months in 19 cities across 17 states.”

CBS Sports and PBR have actually had a relationship dating back to 2013 with their current deal running through 2030. A weekly PBR event will continue to air on the CBS Television Network as will content on the Paramount-owned FAST service Pluto TV.

Earlier this year, Paramount/Skydance and UFC announced a massive seven-year, $7.7 billion dollar all-encompassing domestic rights deal, followed by an additional contract for both Australia and Latin America signed in October. The two sides also announced a multi-year deal for Zuffa Boxing as well.

As of now, Paramount does not offer any pro wrestling content. Women of Wrestling (WOW) is available on the Pluto TV service and at one point, the formerly named Viacom/CBS was handling syndication for the women’s only brand.

TKO’s Zuffa Boxing signs TV rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paramount/Skydance is doubling down on their relationship with TKO, announcing a media rights deal with their budding Zuffa Boxing promotion.

Announced on Monday morning, it is a “long-term media rights agreement in which Paramount+ will become the exclusive home of Zuffa Boxing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.”

Unlike the UFC’s seven-year, $7+ billion contract signed in August, no financial terms were disclosed.

The promotion is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and includes UFC’s Dana White and WWE’s Nick Khan as the management team.

The deal begins in January 2026 with 12 events in the calendar year “with plans to grow that number in subsequent years.” The shows will stream on Paramount+ “with the potential for select events to be simulcast on CBS.” The wording was less definitive on the CBS front than in their UFC release.

TKO was involved in the promotion of this month’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight in Las Vegas.

TKO exec speaks on WWE’s future with NBC Universal

Posted on by Josh Nason

If TKO head Mark Shapiro has his way, WWE will remain on NBCUniversal for as long as the broadcaster wants them to.

As part of the media rounds ahead of Saturday’s WWE kickoff on the ESPN networks/streaming platform, Shapiro spoke to Puck’s John Ourand on his Varsity podcast.

In talking about the UFC media rights deal, Shapiro was discussing the benefits of having various TV partners. WWE then came up and in talking about ESPN and Netflix, he brought up Comcast (aka NBC Universal and said, “We’re not going to leave (NBCUniversal) as long as they want to be with us.”

The relationship between WWE and NBCU notably changed last month, bringing WWE PLEs to ESPN seven months earlier than contractually expected. Archive content will remain on the Peacock platform through the end of 2025 while NXT PLEs will remain through March 2026 as of now.

The changes also saw an adjustment to their Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcasts with the quarterly specials now airing exclusively on Peacock with SmackDown episodes available on the streamer 30 days after they initially air on USA.

During August’s Clash in Paris PLE, Michael Cole thanked Peacock to which NBC Sports president Rick Cordella replied with his own thanks to the WWE team for taking “a chance” with Peacock.

Following the official expiration of their initial Peacock deal this March, WWE’s lone remaining deal with NBCU expires in October 2029. SmackDown did initially begin airing on USA several weeks earlier than expected (September 13) and it’s unclear if the contract date changed with that move.