Over the last few months, there have been several debates over the ownership of WWE. Vince McMahon, who owns a majority stake in the professional wrestling promotion, has expressed his interest in selling the company on a number of occasions in the recent past.
The change of leadership at the top level last year due to controversies has further sparked speculations over the company’s ownership. Last month, there were also reports of the promotion being sold to Saudi Arabia. So who owns WWE currently? Read on to find out.
Who Owns WWE?
At the time of writing, WWE is still owned by Vince McMahon. The business professional is currently the majority stake owner, with 42% of shares, and the executive chairman of the promotion. He has held the company’s leadership for forty years and built it into the huge empire it is today.
On February 17, 2023, reports surfaced that McMahon is actively looking for buyers to sell off the world’s largest professional wrestling promotion. At the time, the company is valued at a whopping $9 billion.
Names of some potential buyers are also doing the rounds, which include Endeavor Group Holdings, the owners of the UFC, and some Middle Eastern investors. It will now be interesting to see who and when someone bags the deal and becomes the new owner of WWE.
McMahon Returned as WWE Chairman in January 2023
Vince McMahon had stepped down from his position as WWE CEO in July 2022 after multiple accusations of sexual harassment against him. He was also accused of paying off the victims to keep their mouths shut. Vince’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, was then made the co-CEO and the chairwoman of the company.
In January 2023, Vince returned as the chairman of the company and expressed his desire to sell the promotion once again. At the time, Stephanie had released an official statement: “With Nick’s leadership and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque as chief content officer, I am confident WWE is in the perfect place to continue to provide unparalleled creative content.”
“WWE is in such a strong position that I have decided to return to my leave and take it one step further with my official resignation. I look forward to cheering on WWE from the other side of the business, where I started when I was a little kid, as a pure fan,” she added.
WWE was Previously Rumored to be Sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund
In January, multiple reports suggested that WWE had been sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. DAZN pro wrestling reporter Steven Muehlhausen was the first one to report on the matter with a tweet; however, he deleted the post later.
Several WWE stars were said to be concerned with the development. However, later, the reports turned out to be rumors, and it was confirmed that the promotion was still a publicly traded company and had not been sold to the Saudi Arabian PIF.
Now that WWE is still available for sale let’s see who ends up becoming the new owner of the promotion after Vince McMahon.