WWE officially now part of new TKO company with UFC, Endeavor becomes majority owner, McMahon still controls WWE

WWE is now officially owned by Endeavor Group Holding’s new TKO brand along with UFC. The announcement of the pending sale was made last April.

“The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as leaders in global sports and entertainment,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO. “Given their continued connectivity to the Endeavor network, we are confident in our ability to accelerate their respective growth and unlock long-term sustainable value for shareholders. With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.”

Endeavor owns 51 percent of TKO while WWE shareholders, including Vince McMahon, own 49 percent. McMahon is the Executive Chairman of TKO, which essentially gives him control of WWE despite being a minority owner of TKO. He ultimately answers to Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, the top executives at Endeavor.

“This is the culmination of a decades-long partnership between Endeavor and WWE across strategic initiatives including talent representation and media rights,” said Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of TKO in the press release. “Given our collaborative, trusted relationship and Endeavor’s incredible track record of success growing UFC, we believe WWE is optimally positioned for future growth and success as part of TKO. Our focus remains on delivering for our fans across the globe as we take the business to the next level alongside UFC and Endeavor.”

The press release lists the “Leadership Team” at TKO.

• Ariel Emanuel, Chief Executive Officer, who continues as Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor;
• Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer, who continues as President and Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor;
• Andrew Schleimer, Chief Financial Officer; and
• Seth Krauss, Chief Legal Officer, who continues as Chief Legal Officer of Endeavor.

Dana White is now Chief Executive Officer of UFC and Lawrence Epstein remains Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UFC. Nick Khan continues at WWE in the role of President.

The Board of Directors of TKO is led by Vince McMahon as Executive Chairman of the Board and consists of 11 members, including Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Shapiro, and Mr. Khan, in addition to the following directors:

• Peter C.B. Bynoe, Senior Advisor at DLA Piper LLP;
• Egon P. Durban, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Silver Lake;
• Steven R. Koonin, Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Hawks, LLC;
• Jonathan A. Kraft, President of the Kraft Group LLC;
• Sonya E. Medina, President and Chief Executive Officer of Reach Resilience;
• Nancy R. Tellem, Executive Chairperson and Chief Media Officer of Eko; and
• Carrie Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer and a board member of Opendoor Technologies Inc.

TKO will begin trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “TKO.”

RECOMMENDED NEXT: WWE Smackdown Ratings Report: Viewership sharply down, comparisons to year-ago metrics in viewership and key demo, comparison to other sports

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Vince McMahon back from medical leave, made changes to WWE Raw

(Wade Keller is the editor, publisher, and founder of Pro Wrestling Torch and PWTorch.com. He has covered pro wrestling since 1987. He studied journalism and economics in college, interned at a major market broadcast news station (KMSP in Minneapolis/St. Paul), worked at KFAN radio for two years in the 1990s, hosted the “Ultimate Insiders” DVD series with international distribution, hosted the “Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast” on Podcast One and now on Spreaker, and has been a guest on the Steve Austin Podcast dozens of times as an analyst (nobody has been a guest with Austin more times). He has broken major pro wrestling stories in five separate decades and has interviewed some of pro wrestling’s most influential names in their longest insider interviews including Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Lou Thesz, Jesse Ventura, Jon Moxley, Jim Ross, Eric Bischoff, Bill Watts, Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, Goldberg, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, The Rock, Kevin Nash, and over 100 others including more than a dozen ex-WWE creative team members. He was inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 for “Excellence in Wresting on Professional Wrestling” in a class with Beth Phoenix, B.Brian Blair, Greg Wojciechowski, Jim Londos, and Matt Lindland. He continues to cover pro wrestling here at PWTorch.com and on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast.)