Category: Wrestling

‘It’s rarefied air’ – Endeavor boss sees WWE UFC combo with Vince McMahon & Dana White as ‘unstoppable’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA Business, MMA News, Wrestling

The UFC’s sale to Endeavor is more than half a decade old at this point, and in terms of financial stability, it’s hard to see the move as anything other than a resounding success. The promotion’s earnings have increased steadily year after year, without any substantial change in the number of events or the price of the fighters competing on them. All of which likely has Vince McMahon smacking his lips in anticipation for the new WWE UFC partnership.

News that the massive pro-wrestling company is officially set to sell a majority stake to Endeavor, who then plans on rolling it into a single business entity with the UFC, broke Sunday after months of speculation that the WWE was planning a change in ownership. The combined sports-entertainment productions are projected to have a value over $20 billion. For fans wondering what that might mean as for changes in the front office of either organization, Ari Emanuel sounds like he wants to quell fears.

The Endeavor CEO spoke to CNBC about the massive changes afoot. More than anything he wanted to make it clear that the men in charge of the UFC and WWE aren’t going anywhere.

WWE UFC merger: Dana White and Vince McMahon are here to stay

“Here’s what we said, and I said it to [Vince] — if we disagree on something that we want to do, guess what? We’re not doing it,” Emanuel said of Endeavor’s plans for the WWE UFC (transcript via MMA Fighting). “It’s the relationship I have with Silver Lake. It’s the relationship that I have with Dana. Dana’s got the say as it relates to the UFC, Vince as it relates to the WWE. He’s going to have the say. We have nothing to do with the creative process. That’s Vince’s and that’s Dana’s situation.

“All the back stuff, we’re going to try and do what we do. I think that’s what he wants, but if there’s a disagreement, that’s called a relationship. We will work it out and that’s how we have it.”

Who’s going to be in charge?

In terms of actual structure, Emanuel will apparently serve as CEO of the WWE UFC venture, much the same as he has (and will continue) with Endeavor already. Endeavor president and COO Mark Shaprio is also expected to continue his roles in the new setup as well. Vince McMahon will take over as executive chairman of the joint WWE-UFC operation, with Dana White still serving as president of UFC operations. WWE CEO Nick Khan will serve as president of the wrestling promotion’s operations, with McMahon reportedly stepping back somewhat from the more day-to-day creative decision making for WWE product.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Emanuel added. “Because I’ve got Vince McMahon, a visionary that sees around corners. I’ve got Dana White and what we’ve built. That’s pretty unstoppable.

“Combined, it’s rarefied air, the two of us. I think the analysts will see it’s good for the shareholders of WWE and it’s good for the shareholders of Endeavor.”

Interestingly, following news of the planned sale, which is expected to be completed later this year, WWE shares fell 2% on Monday. Endeavor shares were reportedly down 5%. That seems unlikely to be any kind of longterm referendum on the merger. Endeavor struggled initially with the market in attempting to launch their 2019 IPO, but following a successful 2021 launch they’ve seen only increasing returns. It may very well be that this deal will be the kickoff point for a true media giant going forward.

Video: Bellator interim champ scuffles with top contender during face-to-face interview

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bellator, Front Page, Wrestling

Bellator’s Bantamweight Grand Prix was meant to include at least one title defense for current divisional champion Sergio Pettis. However, following Pettis’ removal from the opening round due to injury, the eight man tournament has prompted the creation of a new interim belt.

When ‘The Phenom’ dropped out of his bout against Raufeon Stots, Bellator subbed in the man who lost the title to Pettis, Juan Archuleta. The outcome became an interim belt for Stots, following his 3rd round KO victory over the ‘Spaniard’. Stots is now set to carry his piece of the championship forward into the sem-final tournament round, against Danny Sabatello at Bellator 289 on December 9th.

Already gaining a reputation as a flamboyantly outspoken fighter, the 29-year-old Sabatello entered the Bantamweight Grand Prix as a ‘wild card’—defeating Jornel Lugo to secure a quarter-final contest against former title contender Leandro Higo. Sabatello defeated Higo via 5 round decision, lining him up for this latest showdown.

Stots and Sabatello sat down for a recent episode of the MMA Hour to do a live and in-person, face-to-face interview promoting their upcoming bout. When host Ariel Helwani got to the topic of wrestling and who—between the two men—was better at it, things got a little heated.

A former two-time NCAA DII champion, Stots was quick to trumpet his own talents.

“I’m the better wrestler,” Stots told Helwani. “We can go wrestle right now, I’ll beat the shit out of him.”

That, it turns out, was all Sabatello needed to hear. A former two-time Illinois state champion high school wrestler, the ‘Italian Gangster’ went on to compete with solid success in Purdue University’s NCAA DI program. Both men have their fair share of bonafides when it comes to their abilities on the mats.

Helwani was able to get the two athletes calmed and separated enough to continue the interview, but the altercation will no doubt provide some extra motivation when the cage door closes this December.

Alongside the bantamweight interim title fight, Bellator 289 is expected to feature the second Grand Prix semi-final bout between former title contender Patchy Mix and former ACB bantamweight champion Magomed Magomedov.

Future WWE talent Gable Steveson secures second straight NCAA D1 title, retires from wrestling

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, NCAA Wrestling, Pro Wrestling, Wrestling

In 2021 NCAA Division 1 champion Gable Steveson made headlines. Not for his accomplishments on the mats, but for what the future might hold for the talented Golden Gophers wrestling star. A 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, Steveson made his intentions clear. That he wanted to make a move to new athletic horizons, and it was going to be a big one.

He teased the possibility of trying his hand at college football, making a jump straight to the NFL, or even a move to MMA and the UFC, before ultimately landing on a contract with the WWE (not a surprise to longtime wrestling fans who knew Steveson’s ties to and affinity for the sports-entertainment product). And on March 19th he put the final piece into place, announcing his official retirement from the national and international wrestling worlds—fresh off the back of his second straight college championship.

Steveson defeated Arizona State Sun Devil Cohlton Schultz in the final round of the 2022 NCAA D1 tournament, after which he walked to the center of the mats and removed his wrestling shoes.

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“It’s done,” Steveson said, of his wrestling career (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I knew what I came to do. I was going to win an Olympic gold, win the national tournament again. It’s just weird. I don’t know how to describe it.”

No word yet as to when Steveson is set to make his WWE debut, although rumors are swirling that he may make an appearance at WrestleMania 38, on April 2-3 in Arlingonton TX.

In a 2021 appearance on the WWE After the Bell podcast, Steveson spoke about his decision to go with the WWE—noting that one of the key factors in the move was that the promotion was willing to allow him to go back to the University of Minnesota to compete for another NCAA title.

“[The WWE] allowed me to go back to school,” Steveson said of his decision (transcript via WrestlingInc.com). “If I would’ve signed with the UFC or tried to do the NFL, I would’ve had to leave. Leave an open book with the University of Minnesota that I couldn’t finish. I wanted to go back and win the national tournament again, I wanted to go back and wrestle in front of our fans because, last year, we couldn’t because of the COVID rules. The year before that, it got canceled too, so I wanted to go back and have that one last run with everybody seeing me. And the WWE helped me have the NIL so I could be with them, have on stage appearances but also wrestle my college season. And I’m a regular college student at the end of the day too.”

Report: Olympic star Gable Steveson signs with the WWE

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, NCAA Wrestling, Pro Wrestling, Wrestling

One of the hottest commodities in the sports world appears to have found a home. It sounds like Olympic freestyle wrestling star and gold medal winner Gable Steveson is headed to the WWE. That’s according to the Wrestling Observer, who reported the move just shortly after the NCAA D1 champion hit Twitter with a cryptic message, telling fans that he had “just put pen to paper.”

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Steveson apparently met with WWE owner Vince McMahon back in August, while attending the promotion’s SummerSlam event. The former Golden Gopher will be following in the footsteps of his brother Bobby Steveson, who reported to the WWE Performance Center last month to begin training. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Steveson told the outlet that “If I ever go to WWE, I’d be a ‘Paul Heyman Guy,’” adding that WWE superstar and former UFC champ Brock Lesnar has been advising him on his future career moves since high school.

“WWE has been so great to me,” Steveson explained. “Triple H, Brock, Heyman, Ric Flair and so many others have been so supportive,” adding that he’d also received lots of support from UFC stars like Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Henry Cejudo.

After coming home from his standout performance in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Steveson made public ovations to both the WWE & UFC, while also making it known that he’d been in contact with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. There was even talk that he might return to school for another year of wrestling, or find a spot on the Gophers’ Football team.

Ultimately, however, it seems that the offer from the WWE was just too good to refuse. Tough luck for MMA fans who may have been hoping to see yet another standout, top-tier athlete hit the Octagon. Still, if he’s got Lesnar in his ear, giving him advice, there may be time for a UFC run somewhere down the line in his future.

Olympian Gable Steveson gives Dana White, Vince McMahon a nudge, but may be NFL bound

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, Wrestling

It seems there’s no free agent in the sporting world with more untapped potential and wide ranging interest than newly crowned Olympian Gable Steveson. The 6’, 260 lb wrestler out of the University of Minnesota earned his first D1 national championship in 2021 on his way to competing at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, where he scored a stunning comeback victory over Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili to take home the gold medal.

Still just 21 years old and with a year of collegiate eligibility remaining, questions abound as to just what Steveson might do next. The wrestling phenom has even helped stir up a few rumors himself, with a couple notable shout-outs on social media.

But, while both the WWE and the UFC would no doubt love to invest in the start of Steveson’s sports-entertainment career, it sounds like the reality is more likely going to be on the gridiron. Steveson has reportedly spent some time practicing with the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, garnering some interest from the NFL along the way.

“I’ve considered playing football,” Steveson said on the Pardon My Take podcast recently (transcript via Twin Cities Pioneer Press). “I actually talked to Coach (P.J.) Fleck of Gopher football and he wanted me to come out before I went to the Olympic Games to come play for a little bit, but I told him after the Olympic Games I will give him an official decision.”

“I would hope one day I can get a tryout with the NFL,” he added. “There are some teams that have came and have mentioned me to some agents, and stuff that have sparked interest in me. It would be cool to go out there and play football and be in the NFL for a little bit.”

Speaking on a recent episode of the Pat McAfee Show, Steveson gave a little more insight into his interest in all three avenues, be it the mixed martial arts, pro-wrestling, or a football career.

“We’ll start with Dana [White],” Steveson explained when asked about his potential career paths. “He gave us congratulations on Instagram DMs, so I’m assuming he’s gonna holla and say, ‘What’s up!?’ eventually.

“Vince McMahon? I have not met Vince McMahon personally. HHH has always been the one I’ve talked to. And you guys know Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar; I know Ric Flair and a few others. So, HHH is always the one that has hit me up.

“NFL? Vikings gave me a little tweet,” Steveson continued. “Brock Lesnar played at the Vikings, so why wouldn’t they give me a shot, you know what I’m saying? It repeats itself. Greatness comes—or it comes and goes.

“I actually went to go for football practice with [Gophers] Coach PJ Fleck. He told me, ‘Strap the pads up and let’s go.’ You know, we’re gonna row the boat ‘til we die, you feel me? And while I was there, a Buffalo Bills scout was there. He said, ‘Hey!’ I knew the head coach of the Bills loved wrestling, because he likes the determination, the heart it takes…”

“Oh, I’m gonna weigh out all my options. I’m gonna take the best option, what’s best for me. At the end of the day, I’m trying to live a comfortable lifestyle. I’m trying to keep my feet up and do my work. So, whoever’s gonna put the best on the table for Gable is gonna get Gable at his best. That’s all I can do.”

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MMA fans can still take heart, however, even if the UFC isn’t the first choice out there for Steveson. Mixed martial arts has provided a late career fallback for many athletes in the past, and NFL careers can be notably short. If the Olympian doesn’t find the success he’s looking for in football, there’s nothing to say he might not come back around to the UFC in a few years time.

Dana White is ‘more generous’ than Vince McMahon – CM Punk gives props to UFC boss

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News, Wrestling

There are few fighters in the world who have had so close a view as CM Punk of two major figures who sit firmly atop the ‘sports entertainment’ world: Dana White & Vince McMahon. Punk’s short lived UFC run may have been little more than a vanity project in comparison to his time with the WWE, but it gave the pro wrestling star (and BJJ blue belt) a good look at how the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization does business.

In a recent interview on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, Punk compared and contrasted his experiences working with Vince McMahon and Dana White. And while he noted that both men are ‘right wing’ weirdos, from the former WWE champion’s standpoint he saw a lot more generosity from White than his pro wrestling counterpart.

“I think there’s levels to it,” Punk said, comparing the two men (transcript via The Body Lock). “Obviously you can draw that they’re both right wing, the word I’ll use is weirdo, because obviously they vote based on what’s good for their pocketbook.

“If I really had to compare and contrast, I would say Dana is more generous. Dana does a lot of stuff for the fighters behind the scenes. I think there’s a lot of locker room money that people don’t know about and he gets a lot of flak for [not paying fighters enough]. That being said, I do also think fighters need to get paid a whole hell of a lot more.

“But a lot of that time when he lashes out when people are complaining about pay and unionization, it’s because he knows, ‘hey, I just gave that guy $250,000 under the table’ but you can’t talk about it. But he should still pay people more and fighters need to get together and unionize anyway.”

The UFC’s locker room bonuses have been a long reported feature of the promotion. Fighters like Frank Mir and Lyoto Machida reportedly banked checks as big as $1,000,000 (in Mir’s case) for exceptional fight night performances. Joe Silva described the more regular practice of handing out extra cash during his testimony as part of the long running class action lawsuit against the UFC.

“And I’d say, here’s what happened in every fight, and here’s money that’s not knockout of the night or fight of the night, here’s extra bonuses that I think these guys are worth,” Silva explained. “And I would make suggestions: this guy lost, but it was a good fight, he did that, I think he should get 3,000 extra; I think that that guy should get 10,000 extra. And I’d go down the whole card.”

On the flip side, much like the UFC, the WWE has made itself notorious for its strict control over how athletes can monetize their likenesses and skills. In 2015 Forbes reported that WWE wrestlers made anywhere from $50,000 to $5 million a year. However, reportedly, wrestlers can also earn bonuses for exceptional in-ring performances. Word is that Triple H took home $600,000 over one year just in bonus money alone.

How that all balances out in terms of actual pay as a percentage of revenue for athletes is a little murkier. The 2015 Forbes report pegged WWE athlete salaries at around $50 million for the whole roster, accounting for just 7.6% of the company’s annual revenue. By comparison in that same year, the UFC reportedly spent $99 million on athlete compensation, or 16% of their total revenue.

At least on the surface, it like there may be some truth to Brooks’ assertion that when it comes to money, the UFC is a more generous place to work.

Ronda Rousey opens up about Holm & Nunes after big WrestleMania debut: ‘I’m so happy I lost those fights’

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, Women's MMA, Wrestling

As the saying goes, time heals all wounds. But, a really successful WWE debut match at last weekend’s WrestleMania 34 doesn’t hurt anything either. That seems to be the case for Ronda Rousey, anyway. The former UFC bantamweight champion, by all accounts, far exceeded most expectations in her tag team match with Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.

After the event, Rousey spoke to ESPN. Not just about her debut, but uncharacteristically, about her losses in the UFC as well. For a woman who seemed openly hostile to the subject in interviews leading up to WrestleMania, afterward she took a much more reflective approach.

“It was me versus the world in an individual sport,” Rousey said. “I thought I would never say this, but I’m so happy I lost those fights [to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes] because it led me here. This is so worth it.

“Everything really does happen for a reason. I’m just so grateful. I thought I never would be [grateful] for [the losses], but time is a great teacher. I’m just really, really glad I gave it time instead of giving up and feeling it was the end of the world. There’s so many people who encounter tragedies who feel like the world and time won’t heal it. But all I can say to those people is: Just give it time, even if you think time can’t heal it. You never know what will happen and where it will lead you. Every missed opportunity is a blessing in disguise. I really believe it now.”

Rousey also reiterated her support for Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who battled for the strawweight title in the co-main event of UFC 223 on Saturday, April 7th. In her view, it looks like that fight was just what she needed to know women would do just fine in the UFC without her.

“Oh my god, I’m so proud of them. They’re such great representatives of the sport. They’re what that sport really needs — women like them. It’s just like a great sign for the future,” Rousey said Sunday. “Every sport has its peaks and valleys, but I think they’re a real testament to the staying power of the UFC.

”If anything, it was like a blessing sending me on my way. They had this amazing match, everyone’s super stoked for them and the women’s division. It was just like their way of telling me, ‘Don’t worry, go handle your thing and do what you’re meant to do.’”

Ronda Rousey confirms she’s not a time traveler, gets hostile with ESPN over MMA losses

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Interview, UFC News, Wrestling

It looks like the blackout on asking Ronda Rousey about her MMA career has been lifted. But that doesn’t mean that asking will get interviewers anywhere.

The former UFC champion made the ESPN talk show rounds recently as part of the build up to her WWE WrestleMania 34 match. And when conversation strayed toward the end of her UFC run, things got weird.

“There’s a possibility that I could go back in time? That’s your question to me!?” Rousey asked a fumbling Mike Golic, in response to his poorly worded inquiry about leaving the UFC.

“I do not have the ability to go back in time, no.”

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And while it’s always fun to see an ESPN talking head get spoken down to – especially for a question as poorly constructed as that one – Rousey made it clear that her abrasiveness over the topic wasn’t limited to just that interview.

“I experienced a lot of people who quote, ‘some people,’ who are really just afraid to state their own opinion,” Rousey replied to a question from Max Kellerman, asking what she thought of the out-sized backlash to her losses in MMA.

“Well thank you for defending me, I appreciate that,” Rousey added, when Kellerman tried to explain that he felt the response to her losses had been overblown.

To his own credit, Kellerman did indeed go to bat for Rousey following her loss to Holly Holm. Speaking to FightHype.com back in 2015, the ESPN commentator said, “There’s a sense out there that [Ronda Rousey] was overrated. And if people were calling her the greatest female athlete in the world, then yes she’s overrated… I just thought, ‘She’s the best female MMA fighter in the world.’ And she was. She wasn’t overrated, if you had a sober view to begin with. What she did was amazing!”

For now, positively slanted or not, it still seems like the newly minted WWE talent has zero patience for talk of her losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. So while interviewers are free to ask, they do so at the risk of some incredibly awkward air time.

Dana White ‘very happy’ for Ronda Rousey after WWE move

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News, Women's MMA, Wrestling

At her peak, Ronda Rousey was unquestionably the broadest reaching star in UFC history. She may have only broken the million PPV buy mark twice (still an impressive feat) as a headliner – ironically in her two KO losses – but over the course of her title reign, she became a mass market celebrity unlike anything the UFC had seen before.

And now she’s more or less gone from the mixed martial arts sphere.

On the back of those losses, Rousey cut herself off from any and all MMA related media, focusing instead on her personal life, and her potential careers in Hollywood and in pro wrestling. The latter of those got its first big shot in the arm this last weekend at WWE’s Royal Rumble, where Rousey made her first appearance as a contracted wrestler for the promotion.

A bitter pill for Dana White to swallow? Seeing one of the promotion’s main attractions take off at the height of her drawing power? It doesn’t sound that way.

“I’m very happy for her,” White told the Las Vegas Review-Journal following Rousey’s Royal Rumble appearance. “She loves pro wrestling and has always been a big fan so I know how much his means to her. She keeps accomplishing everything she’s ever wanted.”

It’s a reaction that doesn’t come as much of a surprise for those who have followed the friendship between Rousey and White over the years. White has, at several points, compared his relationship to the former Olympic Judoka as akin to the friendship he’s had with former champion Chuck Liddell over the years. And has bristled at the idea that the UFC would want Rousey to keep fighting in order to make the promotion more money.

“I care about her as a human being more than the fighter side,” White said in a 2017 interview. “You read the bulls—, ‘Oh man, UFC’s in trouble, their golden goose….’ She’s not a f—king golden goose. She’s a human being. And she’s a very good f–king friend of mine.”

Brock Lesnar re-enters USADA testing pool, is a UFC return on the horizon?

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Confidential, UFC News, Wrestling

When Brock Lesnar left the UFC in 2001 (just ignore that) 2011, suffering from recurring diverticulitis, the idea that he’d ever be on his way back to the UFC, or even MMA, seemed remote. By the time 2016 rolled around, he’d been gone from combat sports for more than 4 years, was running up on 40, and seemed well in the rear view mirror of MMA fandom.

Then, of course, he came back.

Lesnar returned at UFC 200 to fight Mark Hunt. What was initially supposed to be a mid-card PPV highlight ended up elevated to the co-main event, as both Jon Jones and Conor McGregor were pulled from the card in the months (and days) leading up to fight night. Lesnar was also granted an exemption by USADA from the prolonged testing window required for new entries into the UFC (something that is routinely granted to new fighters coming in on short notice for events).

That exemption ended up to be a bit of a black eye, however, as Lesnar failed a pair of drug tests surrounding the event. The result was that his UFC 200 win over Mark Hunt was turned to a no contest, Lesnar ended up with a 1-year suspension, and eventually Brock once again went into retirement.

The question is, was it for good this time? As Wrestling Observer reports, Lesnar has been re-entered into the USADA testing pool. So as far as the drug testing agency is concerned, he’s no longer officially retired. Whether he actually fights again in MMA is another matter altogether.

Initial speculation was that the UFC wanted to bring Lesnar back for their next big Madison Square Garden show in November, but due to his re-activated one year suspension (with 5 months remaining), Brock can’t possibly fight before December. At 40 years old, the clock is ticking, but with WME-IMG in need of more top drawing stars, the door for a Brock Lesnar return will likely stay open for a while longer. And as of now it looks like something the former UFC champion is willing to consider.