WWE fired four top executives on Friday morning following the launch of TKO Group Holdings earlier this week. Many other cuts have also been made.
The UFC and WWE merger became official this past Tuesday with the official launch of TKO, and parent company Endeavor Group is now looking to make several cuts.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel has stated that the company is looking to cut $50 million to $100 million in costs for WWE to increase profitability.
When Endeavor acquired the UFC in 2016, similar cuts were made and there were “major layoffs” of top people in the company. Those cuts were limited to the office and didn’t apply to talent as much. However, a harder limit was imposed on talent expenses.
If the UFC case is any indication, WWE talent pay will increase at a lower level than revenue and profits.
Endeavor didn’t interfere much with how the actual product was managed following the acquisition of the UFC, and this will likely be the case with WWE.
In other words, the WWE product will likely remain unchanged for the most part.
It is rumored that major cuts await the WWE main roster and NXT.
