During the recent TKO Q2 investors update, Mark Shapiro, the President of TKO, disclosed that Vince McMahon’s sole interest was incorporating UFC, into the TKO conglomerate, with no negotiations involving PBR taking place.
TKO, also known as TKO Group Holdings Inc., came into being through the merger of WWE and UFC. This joint venture, fostered by Endeavor, was sealed on September 12, 2023. At present, TKO’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Addressing the PBR issue, Shapiro explained, “With regard to PBR specifically, that was just never in the cards. We were negotiating with Vince McMahon at the time. From day one, he was only open to doing this merger, if you will, if it was these two properties. Period, end of story. There was no discussion on PBR. That’s the reason why that happened.”
Through this merger, Endeavor came to hold a controlling 51% share in TKO, with the rest 49% share retained by WWE stockholders. WWE’s market value stands at an impressive .1 billion.