Tag: TKO

CM Punk: WWE & UFC being under the same umbrella is ‘really exciting’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Endeavor owning both companies, CM Punk thinks it’s exciting that WWE and UFC exist under the same umbrella.

TKO Group Holdings, a merged company with WWE and UFC, was officially created last September when Endeavor finalized its acquisition of WWE. Though they operate independently from each other, we’ve seen WWE and UFC collaborate both in business and on-screen. The UFC Apex in Las Vegas was the venue for NXT Battleground this June.

On Thursday, TKO shared a social media video with Punk discussing why he thinks WWE and UFC being under the same umbrella is important.

“There’s a lot of reasons why I think the crossover between UFC and WWE is important. We’re all under the TKO umbrella,” Punk said. “But to me, what’s important about this is it brings pro wrestling back to its roots. I think there’s a lot of similarities, there’s a lot of parallels. And at the end of the day, we’re all brothers and sisters. And we’re all fighters. So it’s really exciting for me to see.”

Punk has UFC experience, competing in two fights that took place in 2016 (against Mickey Gall) and 2018 (against Mike Jackson). The fights happened during the seven years Punk was away from pro wrestling.

A torn triceps has kept Punk away from the WWE ring since January. It’s probable that he’ll be cleared in time to return for a grudge match against Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam on Saturday, August 3.

Daily Update: TKO earnings report date, Mariah May, Hammerstein Ballroom

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Full Forbidden Door coverage
  • Early notes on how the PPV did
  • Arena business and what historical achievement took place this past weekend
  • How the poll for the show had a unique and noteworthy result
  • Looking at AEW going into All In
  • A look at Money in the Bank, Heatwave, and ticket demand for the three WWE shows this week in Toronto.
  • A look at the playoffs for the G1 tournament
  • UFC 303 coverage of one of the shows where they had to change everything over and over again
  • Thoughts on the WrestleMania documentary, what was talked about, and what wasn’t.
  • A look at all the TV ratings info from the past week including rankings for the night and week, the competition, the whys behind the numbers, segment-by-segment and more
  • Chris Jericho returns to Arena Mexico
  • A look at Friday’s show including the Altantis Jr. ROH TV title win
  • AAA TV time notes
  • AAA Verano de Escandalo card
  • Major changes in Stardom
  • New Japan pushes a big open to 2025 for both their promotion and Stardom with dates for tourists
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Sanshiro Takagi rematch on the bullet train
  • Notable sight gags on the match
  • Update on Marigold’s first major show with Iyo Sky
  • Rematch of one of the best bouts of the year set for the RevPro anniversary show at the Copper Box Arena
  • WWE stars at TNA TV tapings and at Bloodsport
  • More on Britt Baker’s return
  • Tony Khan talks about media rights negotiations, the Juneteenth rating, a milestone Eric Bischoff could never do
  • Will Ospreay opens up about his autism
  • Advance ticket sales for all the WWE & AEW shows over the past week
  • Biggest merch sellers in WWE & AEW
  • Dana White makes a claim that will blow your mind
  • More on the Bloodline angle
  • SmackDown issues with FOX
  • Notes on WWE departures
  • WWE investing in new business with notable partners including the NFL
  • Dijak talks more about his contract not being renewed

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • TKO Group Holdings (WWE’s parent company) will announce its second quarter financial results on Thursday, August 8:
    • TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a premium sports and entertainment company, will release its second quarter 2024 results prior to the market opening on Thursday, August 8, 2024. The live teleconference to discuss these results and provide a business update is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT the same day.
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH shared a video of AJ Styles arriving in Japan for his match against Naomichi Marufuji this Saturday. Both Styles and Marufuji will be appearing at a press conference to promote the match on Friday.
  • In an interview with NOAH discussing Styles vs. Marufuji, Cody Rhodes indicated that he’d like to face Marufuji down the road:
    • It’s not hyperbole to say Marufuji on the other side of the ring is how important he is to modern pro wrestling and modern sports entertainment. I mean, if you hit the ropes behind another guy, you call that a ‘Marufuji.’ That’s what I do. That’s part of my comeback that I have in my own matches. The fact that I’ve never gotten in the ring with him, that’s something that could happen down the road.
  • Rhodes interviewed Bayley on the premiere of “What Do You Wanna Talk About?,” a new YouTube series hosted by Rhodes that’s sponsored by Wheatley American Vodka.
  • JBL praised Damian Priest and Gunther and commended them for the work they’ve put in to improve their physiques: “How can you not love these two guys? Both terrific talents, and good guys. But, they are here because of hard work and talent. This is remarkable. These two deserve this like few I have ever seen. I’m pulling for you both guys!”
  • WWE uploaded a WWE Retrospective video with X-Pac reacting to the greatest moments from his career.
  • Booker T appeared on the latest episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
  • The following matches are set to air on NXT Level Up this Friday night:
    • Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Uriah Connors & Dion Lennox
    • Malik Blade vs. Cutler James
    • Layla Diggs vs. Tatum Paxley

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • After it was announced that Stephanie Vaquer has departed CMLL & NJPW and is joining WWE NXT, Revolution Pro Wrestling issued a statement confirming that Vaquer will no longer be appearing for them this August:
    • Stephanie Vaquer has withdrawn from her August tour with us. 
    • Apologies for the late notice, we received news shortly before the story broke whilst dealing with a personal matter. 
    • We will be working with our partners towards getting a suitable replacement.
  • SportsGrid asked Tony Khan if AEW or ROH could ever run a show at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City:
    • Yes, I think that’s a very interesting idea. You know what’s interesting, I’ve never been to the Hammerstein Ballroom. I’d really like to go. I’d love to do it. I’ve seen great shows there. I think it’s a great venue. I’ve never been. But we also have these amazing relationships around New York, so it’s about right-sizing. I mean, for the right event, on the right night, it could make a lot of sense. And I’d imagine it would sell out very, very quickly because it’s not the biggest room. But it is a fascinating setup. It’s a really cool looking room. It’s got great acoustics and it’s a lot of fun from everything I’ve seen on television. I’d love to check it out in person. That’s a great point, it’s a great idea.
  • Khan named Arthur Ashe Stadium and UBS Arena as two of the New York venues that AEW has a great relationship with, but he thinks Hammerstein Ballroom could be a cool place for the right show:
    • But I really think that, for us, the Hammerstein Ballroom could be a cool venue sometime. It’s a great idea. I haven’t thought that much about it, but that’s why I love talking to great wrestling fans about ideas.
  • AEW shared backstage footage from the aftermath of Mariah May’s attack on Toni Storm following last night’s Dynamite. May didn’t give an answer when asked to explain her actions.
  • May did offer a brief storyline explanation for the attack while speaking with Sports Illustrated: “That felt like extra celebration for the work I did. That’s what that was.”
  • May said getting to headline last night’s Dynamite against Willow Nightingale was a great experience: “That was my first chance to main-event Dynamite. Being in the ring with Willow, who has already achieved so much, was a great experience. I’d love to wrestle her again. Who knows, maybe when I’m world champion.”
  • Mansoor posted a rap responding to Max Caster after Caster said he doesn’t want Mace & Mansoor in AEW/ROH.
  • CBS Sports asked Ronda Rousey how she would feel if her kids wanted to become MMA fighters:
    • If they wanted to, I would do everything that I could to make sure that they’re as great as possible, but I would never push them towards it. You can’t make somebody fight. It’s something that is inside of you that you can’t help. I’ll make sure they know how to fight because it’s a survival skill and it builds a lot of discipline… but whether or not they want to compete, it’s up to them.
  • TNA Turning Point 2024 will air live on TNA+ on Friday, November 29. The show is taking place in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as part of this year’s WrestleCade convention.
  • Paul Walter Hauser will speak at MLW Blood & Thunder in St. Petersburg, Florida this Friday, addressing Tom Lawlor’s attack on him from MLW’s anniversary show.

TKO merges WWE & UFC live events teams

Posted on by Josh Nason

The post-merger departmental changes continue for TKO as the company has combined the WWE and UFC live events teams.

Announced via a press release Thursday, the newly-named live events strategy team “will drive revenue growth strategies across key areas, including live event development and scheduling, tourism incentive programs, ticketing, and fan experiences. This new structure aligns with TKO’s efforts to leverage the power and expertise of both UFC and WWE to maximize event revenue potential and pursue growth opportunities and cost synergies.”

A major effort for both entities is to drive site fees to host shows, even extending to weekly TV like Raw and SmackDown events.

Longtime UFC executive Peter Dropick will head up the group. He will work with TKO leadership as well as Dana White, Nick Khan and Paul Levesque to help bolster the efforts.

Both companies have been on fire at the box office for some time. The release noted that in Q1 alone, WWE “set 54 individual market records for both gross and paid tickets across all event types, including 17 consecutive sellouts for televised events.”

WWE reality show & documentaries planned for first year of Netflix deal

Posted on by Josh Nason

A WWE “Drive to Survive” type reality show is planned to be part of the first year of the WWE and Netflix partnership.

Speaking at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Monday, TKO chief operating officer Mark Shapiro talked about the relationship with his usual talking points, but added that as part of the deal that begins in January 2025, they will also do “a lot of ancillary shoulder programming” next year that includes a series akin to the popular F1-focused docuseries in addition to documentaries on other WWE stars.

The “Drive to Survive” series that launched in 2019 is credited for a massive boom in F1’s popularity worldwide. The league signed a three-year extension with ESPN in June 2022 worth up to $90 million annually — a huge increase from their previous $5 million/year deal.

The WWE/Netflix deal begins this January, bringing Raw to the streaming giant domestically and all WWE content internationally for those regions that don’t have existing deals still in place.

Some other interesting quotes:

  • He said they will expand their WWE deal with Saudi Arabia over the next 6-12 months. Interestingly, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (Turki Alsheikh) said an “enhancement” will be announced this month which could mean a future WrestleMania or Royal Rumble heading to the country in 2026 or 2027 if he has his way.
  • In talking about the UFC’s impending TV rights negotiations, he openly opined that ESPN should consider buying out the PPV rights and put them all on their impending direct-to-consumer flagship streaming channel exclusively. He said they haven’t pitched that to ESPN, but used that as an example of the “flexibility” they will bring to those conversations.
  • He said packaging up UFC/WWE events is a big part of their strategy going forward with attendance, site fees and pricing as key performance indicators. He said if they (WWE or UFC) are coming to town, it doesn’t have to be all cash when it comes to site fees, but they have to heavily incentivized to bring events to a city.
  • He said if next June’s UFC debut in Saudi Arabia goes well, he feels Dana White would be very open to bringing future events there past the one they already signed for — one that got twice the fee as the first one that hasn’t even happened yet.

TKO says WWE’s Nick Khan has sustained ‘strong’ partnership with Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Though Vince McMahon is no longer involved, WWE’s business relationship with Saudi Arabia remains strong.

As part of a deal with the Saudi government, WWE has held PPVs/PLEs in the country since 2018. The long-term deal calls for WWE to hold two events in Saudi Arabia per year, receiving an estimated $50 million for each show. The next of those events will be King & Queen of the Ring on May 25.

Saudi official Turki Alsheikh recently told ESPN that an “enhancement” to WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia will be announced later this month. Alsheikh said Saudi Arabia is hoping to host a future Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.

During TKO Group’s first quarter earnings call, TKO executive Mark Shapiro was asked about WWE potentially expanding its Saudi relationship. Shapiro said WWE could potentially look to increase the amount of shows it holds in the country, but nothing is planned right now beyond the two annual events.

Shapiro noted that, while there was speculation the WWE-Saudi partnership could be negatively impacted by McMahon being gone, WWE President Nick Khan has maintained a “very, very strong relationship” with Saudi Arabia.

What I would say there is, let’s remember, we have a strong and healthy relationship with the Kingdom through WWE and doing two annual events a year. And I’ll just remind folks… those deals were primarily and highly tied to Vince McMahon. And there was a lot of speculation with Vince being gone, ‘Would that impact the relationship in a negative way? Would they be looking to get out of it?’ And I would say proudly that Nick Khan, in particular, has developed and sustained, cultivated, nurtured a very, very strong relationship in a handoff from Vince.

They [Nick Khan and Saudi Arabia] have a lot of trust in each other. They have a lot of faith. We’ve been delivering on those events. Potentially we could look to do more events, but nothing is planned beyond those two events at this time. And we will continue to look at eventizing or festivalizing those WWE events more than we already do.

The UFC, which is also owned by TKO, announced an extension to its partnership with Saudi Arabia this week.

Wrestling Observer Radio: RAW on USA through 2024, TKO earnings, Black Saturday history, Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including RAW staying on USA through 2024, the TKO earnings call, Ric Flair’s issues this week, the full history of Black Saturday, ratings, AEW Dynamite, Resurgence and Double or Nothing line-ups and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Raw to remain on USA through the end of 2024, other TKO financial notes

18:50: More on Ric Flair being asked to leave restaurant

23:23: Ratings

29:04: Black Saturday Dark Side of the Ring

54:27: AEW Dynamite recap, NJPW Resurgence lineup

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TKO earnings report & call notes: WWE revenue up, new Raw development

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE’s first quarter revenue finished at $316.7 million, helping fuel another successful quarter for parent group TKO.

The numbers were reported as part of TKO’s first quarter earnings report released Wednesday, followed by an investors call that kicks off at 5 PM Eastern.

This post will have notes from that call when it starts. Please refresh this page later for updated quotes and notes.

The WWE number is a year-over-year (YOY) increase of 6% from 2023’s $297.6 million in the pre-TKO era due to an increase in both live event & media rights revenue, offsetting a dip in consumer products revenue.

TKO revenue, which includes UFC, finished at $629.7 million, up 105% YOY. However, that number is inflated due to the absence of WWE the year prior.

The most interesting part of the afternoon release was the reveal that WWE Raw will remain on USA Network through the end of 2024 for $25 million. As NBCUniversal’s deal for Raw ended at the end of September, there was some question as to where their flagship show would air for the last quarter of the year before heading to Netflix.

TKO’s full-year guidance increased to $2.685 billion, up from $2.61 billion originally forecasted. That is based on the $25 million for the USA deal and outperforming their numbers for the first quarter.

WWE revenue breakdown for Q1:

  • Media rights & content $ 221.1 million
  • Live events: $50.2 million
  • Sponsorship: $13.8 million
  • Consumer products $31.6 million

WWE highlights

Several of the other highlights TKO noted about WWE included the following, all of which were reported on:

  • 47 total events which included Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. Both PLEs set all-time records for gross revenue and viewership which were previously reported on.
  • Their Netflix deal for Raw domestically and everything on the TV side internationally starting in 2025.
  • Even though the event took place in the second quarter, they touted the financial success of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
  • Their first-ever center mat deal with Prime Energy

UFC notes:

On the other side of the coin, UFC revenue increased slightly to $313 million, up $6.3 million YOY. That was buoyed by a $10.6 million increase in sponsorship and $3.9 million increase in live event revenue, offset by a $9.6 million decrease in media rights & content revenue due to holding one less PPV than last year.

They held 11 shows, five in front of live crowds, in the first quarter, setting all-time gross revenue records for those live shows in the process.

Similar to WrestleMania, they touted the financial success of UFC 300 even though it fell in April.

UFC revenue breakdown for Q1:

  • Media rights & content $ 214.5 million
  • Live events: $35.3 million
  • Sponsorship: $48.6 million
  • Consumer products $14.6 million

Call notes: 

Per the norm in the TKO era, there wasn’t a ton of specific and unique information about WWE or UFC, but here are a few notes.

  • Ari Emanuel, CEO Mark Shapiro and CFO Andrew Schleimer represented TKO per usual. Emanuel ducked out before the Q&A portion began.
  • Site fees and other “cash and non-cash incentives” will continue to drive both big WWE and UFC events.
  • Schleimer said TKO got a “meaningful payment” for WWE bringing Elimination Chamber to Australia — their highest non-Saudi payout to date. He also said next year’s WrestleMania in Las Vegas is tied to both cash/non-cash incentives.
  • Shapiro said the Saudi relationship has been handed off to Nick Khan from Vince McMahon and put over how strong Khan has been with it.
  • He didn’t indicate what the change to the WWE/Saudi arrangement will be, saying as of now, they still have just the two yearly events on the books and the one yearly event for UFC. He did mention wanting to “festivalize” the WWE experience there.
  • The non-exclusive UFC negotiating window opens up in January and lasts for three months. Shapiro said they don’t want to leave, but do want to do what’s best for the company.
  • Several factors go into keeping UFC shows at the Apex in Las Vegas including margins, fan interest, and revenue. Schleimer said they haven’t found the right mix yet, but are working on it. Shapiro said there’s no experience like the live one and that they err on that side when they can.
  • Shapiro said that according to Dana White, the impending UFC PPV at the Sphere in Las Vegas is a “one and done.”

Impending WWE & Saudi Arabia contract ‘enhancement’ could include major PLE

Posted on by Josh Nason

According to the chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority, an “enhancement” to the existing deal between WWE and the Saudis will be announced this month: one that could see a major WWE PLE head overseas.

It’s assumed the new deal will be announced during King & Queen of the Ring which comes to Jeddah on May 25th.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger posted on X that Turki Alsheikh is “is looking to bring January’s annual Royal Rumble or WWE’s top event, WrestleMania, to Saudi Arabia.”

The news comes on the heels of the UFC and the Saudis announcing an extension of their existing deal, one that will see both UFC and Power Slap return to the country during their annual Riyadh Season festival (October through March) in addition to sponsorship of the UFC’s debut at The Sphere in Las Vegas for UFC 306 this September.

The UFC will debut in Saudi Arabia this June.

WWE and Saudi Arabia’s controversial partnership began in 2018 with two events brought there annually with the exception of 2020 and 2021 (one each). While shows like the Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel are exclusive to Saudi Arabia, PLEs like Elimination Chamber (2022) and Night of Champions (2023) have also been held there.

Based on previous SEC reports, WWE is believed to take in $50 million per show as part of the deal. Of note, Vince McMahon, the man that orchestrated that deal and also helped in a connection with the UFC’s debut there, is no longer with TKO after he stepped down as TKO executive chairman following the emergence of the current Janel Grant lawsuit.

Updates on WWE president Nick Khan’s TKO stock situation & employment term

Posted on by Josh Nason

The internet rumor mill surrounding the possible sale of Vince McMahon and WWE president Nick Khan’s remaining TKO shares continued this week with talk show host and Raw commentator Pat McAfee even adding some “breaking news” as he called it.

While talking to Drew McIntyre on Wednesday, McAfee said any rumors about Khan selling his stock were “not true.”

“(He) has never sold a single share of any stock since getting to the WWE. Hasn’t even put them up for sale which is an entire process to do that, so that was a bunch of bullsh*t as well,” he said.

However, that isn’t entirely accurate.

While Khan has yet to sell any shares, he did go through that entire process in posting his current allotment of 234,424 shares back in September 2023 when the WWE/UFC merger happened. (McMahon did the same in posting his allotment of shares at the same time.)

In another SEC filing that came out last Friday, those allotments were again the same amounts with no changes from September or in April when another filing was released.

Some took the listing as a sign Khan was leaving WWE, but in a March 2024 SEC filing, it stated he had signed an employment contract amendment that extended his deal through December 2026. As part of that amendment, Khan was awarded 153,676 shares that vest in thirds every December through the end of the deal.

Khan, and McMahon for that case, are under no obligation to sell all or any of their listed shares. It’s seen as making the process easier in case there are those interested in them.

Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston recapped some of the details within Khan’s amended deal:

Update on Vince McMahon’s public listing of his remaining TKO stock

Posted on by Josh Nason

An SEC filing on Friday evening about Vince McMahon putting up all of his remaining TKO stock for sale was reported by some media outlets as new, breaking news.

However, it was merely the next step in a process that began two weeks ago.

TKO filed a prospectus “related to the resale of up to 8,258,887 shares of our Class A common stock” that included McMahon’s remaining 8,021,405 shares in addition to 234,424 shares from WWE president Nick Khan and 3508 shares by TKO Board member Steven Koonin.

Friday’s filing was merely a final version of the preliminary version that came out on April 12th that was reported by several outlets including ours.

By filing, it doesn’t mean all the shares will be sold by the three men involved. Rather, the process is one that Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston had previously “allows the public to buy them and therefore might allow McMahon, Khan, and Koonin to get a better deal and to complete any transactions with less administrative friction.”

The stock closed Friday at $96.76/share, down from the $98 the stock closed at on April 12th.

In today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, our Dave Meltzer reported that sources told him that starting a new wrestling promotion is not of interest to McMahon but that he does want to look at other business opportunities in the future.

Further details on The Rock’s WWE talent contract emerge

Posted on by Josh Nason

More details are now known about The Rock’s WWE talent contract that he signed upon joining the TKO Board this past January.

Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston did some digging into Dwayne Johnson’s contract that was published as an exhibit this past February with WWE’s annual report.

Here’s a few of the highlights from what Thurston found in addition to some other notes:

  • The contract allows Johnson to hire “third party service providers in connection with developing concepts, scripts, storylines” with WWE’s approval. 
  • As part of that process, WWE will reimburse Johnson’s Seven Bucks Entertainment for the costs of those service providers. One such person was named in the contract, but their name was redacted. That very well could be former WWE writer and Seven Bucks executive Brian Gewirtz who is a longtime Johnson collaborator.
  • The deal is worth $30 million in TKO equity (“the Johnson Equity Award”) that vests on a schedule through the end of 2025. The vast majority of that award will be doled out by the end of 2024.
  • Part of that equity is for Johnson licensing his name, likeness and “certain other intellectual property rights to WWE for use in connection with certain categories of licensed products related to professional wrestling for up to 10 years, subject to certain earlier termination rights.”
  • That IP, which includes The Rock and nearly all of his famous catchphrases, cannot be used on things like political ads, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, porn, or pop-up ads without Johnson’s approval.
  • At the end of 2023, Johnson got nearly $491,000 for royalties and will continue to receive yearly royalties for the sale of products with the aforementioned IP.

After his return match on the first night of WWE WrestleMania 40, he confronted Cody Rhodes on the following Monday’s Raw to set up a future clash which could be quite a while from happening. Johnson is currently filming A24’s “The Smashing Machine” before moving onto production on Disney’s live action Moana film. 

Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer on Vince McMahon’s potential future in wrestling

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The end of any WWE connection to Vince McMahon, the most powerful and influential figure in the history of pro wrestling, is now imminent.

McMahon has been completely out of power since resigning under pressure as TKO executive chairman just prior to this past January’s WWE Royal Rumble after the Janel Grant lawsuit and the threat of sponsor pullouts. But his last connection to the business, being the largest individual shareholder in TKO, is about to become a thing of the past as he registered to sell his remaining 8,021,405 shares in TKO on Friday.

Unrelated, WWE president Nick Khan also registered to sell 234,424 shares. Based on current value, the remaining shares McMahon is looking to sell would be worth about $781 million while the shares Khan is looking to sell are worth about $23 million.

While my belief is that McMahon is done in wrestling, given he’s 78 years old, from a legal standpoint he does have a one-year non-compete.end in late January 2025. He can, at that point, start up a new promotion.

Since the word got out, I’ve had discussions and other communications with some of the most prominent people in wrestling regarding the possibility that he gets back into wrestling, something that has been his life since starting to work for his father as a promoter in the late 1960s.

Subscribers can click here to read the rest of this post.

WWE reportedly lays off longest-tenured employee after 38 years

Posted on by Josh Nason

The longest-tenured employee at WWE, who was also a past Warrior Award winner, is reportedly no longer with the company.

According to PWInsider, WWE senior director of talent relations Sue Aitchinson was let go on Friday, ending a 38-year run with the company. 

No reason was given as to why she was let go, but it’s the third-such talent relations change this week in the ever-changing TKO-owned WWE.

Aitchinson, also a past director of community relations, was honored with the Warrior Award as part of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony with Stephanie McMahon as the one who gave her introduction speech.

She started with the company in 1986 and, as PWInsider’s Mike Johnson noted, she was directly responsible for building WWE’s relationship with Make-A-Wish. She was honored with the Make-A-Wish Chris Greicius Celebrity Award in both 2006 and 2016.

Earlier this week, WWE parted ways with executive VP of talent Dan Ventrelle after nearly two years along with senior VP of athlete ID & development Trent Wilfinger after nearly three years.

Vince McMahon lists all remaining TKO shares for sale

Posted on by Josh Nason

Vince McMahon’s days as a TKO stockholder appear to be coming to an end.

In an SEC filing released Friday by TKO, three stockholders were listed as making their shares available for sale including McMahon. 

While WWE CEO/TKO Board member Nick Khan (234,424) and Board member Steven Koonin (3508) also listed some shares for sale, McMahon is listed as making 8,021,405 shares available — notable as that is all that McMahon has remaining.

While the shares are listed for sale, that doesn’t mean that all three men will sell all of their listed allotments.

Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston observed that “registering the shares for sale allows the public to buy them and therefore might allow McMahon, Khan, and Koonin to get a better deal and to complete any transactions with less administrative friction.”

As of the close of the market Friday, TKO closed at $98/share making McMahon’s current stock value more than $786 million.

It’s the latest potential liquidation move for McMahon who has maintained a steady drumbeat of offloading stock since November 2023. He dropped below a 5% overall ownership of TKO this week after two separate transactions to Endeavor and TKO that brought him more than $300 million. However, he still owns nearly 10% of TKO’s class A shares.

This week’s move followed three other transactions since the late-fall:

In total, McMahon has liquidated more than $1.5 billion from the various sales.

The 78-year-old resigned as TKO executive chairman this past January after being accused of sex trafficking and sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant.