September 12, 2023, was a big day for WWE. After months of preparation, the promotion officially completed its merger with UFC under Endeavor Group Holdings. The new entity will now be known as TKO.
With the move, Vince McMahon now owns 16.4 percent of the newly formed organization. The power lies in the hands of Endeavor's CEO, Ari Emanuel, as the company has 51% of WWE's ownership stake. However, McMahon will have a major say in what happens with World Wrestling Entertainment moving forward, as he is one of the 11 individuals on TKO's Board of Directors.
One person who has not been included on the board is Triple H. Some feared this could lead to his departure from the promotion, but that is not the case. According to ESPN, there will be no massive changes within WWE, and The Game will remain the promotion's head of creative.
There are no plans for "massive changes" to the respective products (UFC & WWE)
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) September 12, 2023
Dana White will still run the day-to-day operations of the UFC and Triple H will remain the head of creative for WWE.
(ESPN) pic.twitter.com/pfPZRCWxVC
Only time will tell how different World Wrestling Entertainment will ultimately be with Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon in charge.
WWE NXT was the first show of the TKO era
Many fans are unsure what to expect from WWE's merger with UFC. The TKO era's first show, NXT, took place on Tuesday.
NXT aired on the USA Network, featuring some significant moments and epic matches. Axiom vs. Tyler Bate and Wes Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov were well-received by the audience, but the bout of the night was arguably the main event.
Monday Night RAW's Becky Lynch went one-on-one with NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton with the gold on the line. Big Time Becks entered the program without ever having held the NXT Women's Title, meaning she was highly motivated to win the belt.
SUPER Excited for #WWENXT Tonight (The 1st NXT Under TKO) @WWENXT @USANetwork @Dish pic.twitter.com/n0WuUAgZNz
— Sean Smart (-_•) (@RealSeanSmart) September 12, 2023
Lynch and Stratton had a great match, but the veteran stood tall in the end. With her win, The Man became the NXT Women's Champion for the first time.
The show also featured the likes of Baron Corbin, Bron Breakker, RAW's Akira Tozawa, Kiana James, Gigi Dolin, and numerous other stars from the white-and-gold brand. Despite the major changes within the company, the product will seemingly stay the same.
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