Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel implicitly blames a top WWE Executive for the sharp fall in TKO’s stocks

Despite the billion-dollar merger under Endeavor, TKO's stocks saw a downfall, and the company's CEO feels Vince McMahon to be its reason.

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel implicitly blames a top WWE Executive for the sharp fall in TKO’s stocks

Ari Emanuel (via Bloomberg)

The UFC and WWE officially merged last month to form TKO under Endeavor. Despite both companies being highly profitable, the joint venture has seen a sharp drop in stock prices. When asked about the reasons behind the fall, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who is leading the TKO group, decided to point fingers at Executive Chairman Vince McMahon.

While speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime Conference, Emanuel said that McMahon is partially to blame for the fall in stock prices. He said that Vince’s unconventional stock options and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the PFL were the top two reasons. Additionally, NBCU’s rumored plans to exit Monday Night Raw’s rights were another reason, according to Emanuel.

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He acknowledged WWE’s value as a brand and the loyal fan base that it carries with it. However, McMahon’s certain business decisions might have backfired on him, resulting in a stock price fall. The stock price peaked at $116, but it has dropped to $80 per share. Therefore, the 62-year-old cited three primary reasons from the McMahon side that did not work out.

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As reported earlier, due to these reasons, the top executives at Endeavor are more inclined towards Triple H taking the lead in WWE. Therefore, the Chief Content Officer is seemingly in control of ‘99.9% of the creative‘. Vince McMahon does not have a say in what goes on in WWE programming.

Related: Vince McMahon no longer in control as Endeavor gives Triple H 99.99% power in WWE’s creative decisions: Reports

Vince McMahon seemingly losing all control in WWE

Until July 2022, Vince McMahon was the head honcho of WWE and all the major decisions were taken by the man himself. However, following multiple harassment allegations, McMahon decided to step down from his position after almost 40 years. His job was taken over by his daughter Stephanie McMahon, her husband Triple H, and long-time WWE executive Nick Khan.

Triple H and Vince McMahon
Triple H and Vince McMahon (via Cultaholic)

This all changed again when Mr. McMahon decided to come back and take over. However, now that WWE comes under the TKO group, the top names have decided that Triple H should stay at the head of creative instead of Vince McMahon. This means that Vinnie Mac might not have a say in any major decisions that the company makes.

It was evident from the recent reports that McMahon is only a namesake stockholder in the TKO group. All the major decisions are now taken by other people like Ari Emanuel, Triple H, and Nick Khan. This might be bad news for the Executive Chairman himself, but the superstars in WWE and fans have been responding positively to the product since Triple H took over.

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