Entertainment
Rumoured WWE buyer rules itself out of the running in potential ‘$9,000,000,000 sale’-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The company is looking into its options.
WWE is currently on the Road to WrestleMania (Picture: WWE)
Endeavor seems to have ruled itself out as a potential WWE buyer.
The sports entertainment giant’s executives have spoken about the prospect of a sale after the news Vince McMahon had returned to the board of directors as executive chairman to oversee a ‘review of strategic alternatives’ including media rights and a potential sale.
Recent reports suggesting the asking price could be around $9 million and companies like Endeavor mentioned as potential bidders.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding who could buy the company if a sale does indeed go through, but one of those appears to be off the table.
UFC owner Endevor has addressed interest in the professional wrestling juggernaut, but it doesn’t sound like an acquisition is being considered.
During the firm’s earning calls on Monday, CEO Ari Emanuel said: ‘As it relates to WWE, it’s an unbelievable product. Vince, you know, created a great business.
Vince McMahon returned to the WWE board of directors earlier this year (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
‘We’ve had a longstanding relationship with them over two decades. We’re doing on location business with them, streaming business with them, his business is really valuable.
‘But we’re not going to do anything as it relates to changing our leverage position right now.’
Endeavor, which owns Dana White’s UFC, appears to have ruled itself out (Picture: Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
There had been rumours WWE had agreed to sell to Saudi Arabia, but they were categorically shot down by CEO Nick Khan, who previously said: ‘100% fake, 100% made up saying there was an imminent transaction. Totally false. It was absurd, it was nuts.’
Regarding McMahon’s involvement in a potential sale, he added on the Bill Simmons Show: ‘In this process, he’s there to oversee it, it’s his controlling share, I’m involved in it, Triple H is in involved in it, the board is obviously involved in it. We’re going to see how it plays out. It should not be a lengthy process.’
Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, WWE’s current chief content officer, recently gave his thoughts on a potential change in ownership.
‘Depends on who is buying, I suppose. What the offer is, what the outcome is. Stay out of it, to me. That’s not a cop-out answer. I have the greatest gig in the world,’ he told media in a press conference after WWE Elimination Chamber last month.
He added: ‘I helped tonight, in some small way, create the magic we did here tonight. To me, it’s the best gig on the planet.
‘As long as we get to do this, as long as we get to create the way we get to create it, as long as we get to do our jobs and we get to go out there and put our passion on display, as long as our talent are allowed to put their passion on display and do what we do, I’m good. It is what it is.’
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