J.P. Morgan Hired to Advise on WWE Sale Talks – List of Possible Buyers

J.P. Morgan, a global leader in financial services, will oversee the sale of WWE following the return of Vince McMahon.

Earlier this week, McMahon confirmed reports that he was plotting a return to WWE after his retirement in July of last year.

Yesterday, McMahon was appointed to WWE’s Board of Directors alongside former WWE co-Presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios.

J.P. Morgan

Sources who spoke to CNBC reported that J.P. Morgan will advise WWE on a potential sale, which if one happens, will be the first in the company’s history.

Those same sources said that if a deal is struck, it will likely occur within the next six to three months.

During a company-wide message, WWE President Frank Riddick clarified that McMahon’s return does not guarantee a sale of the promotion nor a merger with another company.

Buyers – Comcast

An internationally-known brand that reported record profits during the pandemic, it is hardly surprising that WWE is making for quite an attractive purchase.

CNBC reports that Comcast would make a sensible buyer of WWE, given that the company already deals with the McMahon-led promotion.

Comcast owns NBC-Universal, which owns both the USA Network and Peacock, the home of WWE Monday Night Raw and the WWE Network respectively.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said in October 2022 that the company isn’t in a rush to pursue an acquisition.

FOX

FOX is also named by CNBC as a potential buyer, and they two have experience with WWE.

The home of WWE SmackDown, FOX has reportedly been very pleased with WWE since their deal was struck in 2018.

Higher-ups at FOX have been delighted that WWE has been eager to please them, including having top-drawing names like Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey on the blue brand.

Fox sold most of its entertainment assets in a $71 billion sale to Disney in 2019, though WWE would likely fit into the company’s sports and live events focus.

Disney

The House of Mouse has been collecting IPs like Thanos collects Infinity Stones, the Marvel villain of course being under Disney’s ownership.

With former CEO Bob Iger returning (the irony!) CNBC suggested that he could make a splashy acquisition to cement his return.

If so, WWE would likely be placed on ESPN+ and the WWE IP would be applicable for merchandizing and theme park businesses.

Warner Bros. Discovery

Current WBD CEO David Zaslav slashed costs upon his appointment to the top of the merged company, and spending billions on WWE is within the budget.

While a huge purchase like this would run counter to his cost-cutting strategy, Zaslav has spoken in the past about his interest in owning IPs.

With WBD pleased with the success AEW has had so far, it is possible that higher-ups will now set their sights on the much more internationally-known wrestling promotion.

Netflix

It has only been recently that Netflix has opened up to the idea of sports on their programming, with the success of various documentaries.

Netflix also boasts around 223 million paid subscribers (as of 2022 Q3) though the platform has been losing subscribers with many unpopular changes.

Speaking last month, co-CEO Ted Sarandos spoke about how Netflix wouldn’t be renting sports, only buying.

“We’ve not seen a profit path to renting big sports. We’re not anti-sports; we’re just pro-profit.”

Amazon

Unlike Netflix, Amazon has never shied away from acquiring sports, and pays $1 billion per year on Thursday Night Football.

Amazon could bolster Prime Video with live matches and WWE’s library content while easily boosting merchandizing opportunities.

Owned by the richest man on the planet Jeff Bezos, the price of a WWE purchase would not be a problem for Amazon.

Endeavour Group Holdings

In 2021, Endeavor purchased 100% of the UFC, but this may have just been the start of their plans.

Endeavor superagent Ari Emanuel has said that he wants to get into the business of live-events, making WWE a very attractive option.

UFC generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2022, proving that live events can be profitable to Emanuel.

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