This afternoon, WWE officials held an all-employee Zoom meeting to discuss the Endeavor acquisition and merger with UFC.
As PWMania.com previously reported, WWE and Endeavor announced the merger of WWE and UFC to form a new publicly traded global sports and entertainment company. Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, will lead the new company. WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon will remain as Executive Chairman, while WWE President Nick Khan and UFC President Dana White will remain in their respective positions. You can read the full announcement with comments from McMahon and Emanuel by clicking here, and you can read Vince’s e-mail to WWE employees by clicking here, and you can read White’s statement by clicking here.
In an update, current WWE CEO Khan, along with WWE CFO Frank Riddick and WWE Chief Human Resources Officer Suzette Ramirez-Carr, hosted the meeting at around 4pm ET today. WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H called in to the meeting.
Khan began the meeting by reading an e-mail from McMahon, which could have been the employee e-mail discussed earlier today at this link.
The WWE Board of Directors was said to have voted unanimously to approve the transaction this past weekend. Riddick stated that the agreement has been signed and that the SEC and regulatory filings are being prepared. He believes the transaction will be completed by the end of the year, if not sooner, as previously stated.
Triple H stated that he wanted to take a moment to thank all of WWE’s employees for their dedication and passion for the company, which has led everyone to where they are now as a company. He also praised Endeavor as a company, pointing out that, just as Endeavor did not become involved in the UFC’s day-to-day business and operations when they acquired that company, they will not become involved in the WWE creative process, either with talent or production.
Triple H went on to say that he couldn’t be more excited about this move, and that it was only good for everyone involved and WWE as a whole. He also stated that it will be “business as usual” in the future.
It was also stated that they are assembling the transition team that will lead the process of Endeavor acquiring WWE.
Khan thanked Triple H and Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution, who did not attend the meeting. Khan ended the meeting by making a joke about Vince’s mustache.
For the most part, the meeting was described as a “rah rah” spiel, with officials hailing it as a major win for the entire company.
In related news, it has been confirmed that Triple H will continue to serve as Chief Content Officer. According to the e-mail from Vince, “Paul Levesque will remain WWE’s chief content executive,” according to John Pollock on Twitter.
