Vince McMahon reveals potential reason why WWE merged with UFC during employee meeting
Vince McMahon reportedly informed WWE employees today why the company decided to merge with UFC's parent company, Endeavor.
The merger became official on September 12th, and the two organizations have now become a new entertainment company called TKO Group Holdings. The company laid off over 100 workers this week and held an employee meeting today in Stamford, Connecticut.
According to a report from PW Insider, the meeting was opened by WWE president Nick Khan, Triple H (Paul Levesque), Kevin Dunn, and Brad Blum. Nick Khan noted that it was unfortunate that there were layoffs but thanked everyone for their hard work.
Vince McMahon then spoke and praised Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. McMahon claimed that the company had "plateaued" and needed the merger to take place to get to the next level. Vince McMahon introduced Ari Emanuel as his new boss during the meeting today as well.
AEW's Jeff Jarrett on Vince McMahon no longer owning WWE
Wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett recently spoke about WWE's merger with UFC and noted that it is no longer a family business now that Vince McMahon doesn't own the company.
Jarrett parted ways with the company last year shortly after SummerSlam 2022. Double J served as the Senior Vice President of Live Events before his departure last August and was replaced by Hall of Famer Road Dogg after his exit. Jarrett currently works for All Elite Wrestling as the Director of Business Development as well as an in-ring performer.
Speaking on his My World podcast, Jeff Jarrett noted that the promotion is no longer a family business now that Vince McMahon is no longer in charge.
"Today is the first day that the wrestling business can no longer say it's a family business. The McMahons were truly the last of the territories. Now, yes, it grew and went national, then went global and went public. But at the end of the day ... on Christmas or Thanksgiving or holidays, whether the McMahons sat around the kitchen table or not, it was still a family-run business," Jarrett said. [From 00:55 to 01:40]
WWE's product is incredibly hot at the moment as the company enters a new chapter. The Rock's return this past Friday night on SmackDown kicked off a new era for the company, and it will be fascinating to see what WWE has planned to get to the next level moving forward.
What changes would you like to see made to the product following the merger? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.