In April 2023, WWE finalized a billion-dollar deal with Endeavour. Upon acquiring the WWE, Endeavour merged it with UFC and formed a brand new publicly traded company. Furthermore, the CEO of Endeavour, Ari Emanuel also confirmed that Vince Mcmahon will still be running his company as the Chairman of Executives. Recently, former WWE champion, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also commented on the said deal.
Dwayne Johnson has also been associated with XFL, which was established in 2001 by Vince Mcmahon. In fact, In 2020, Johnson, along with his business partners purchased the assets of the bankrupt XFL for approximately $15 million. Following the purchase, Dwayne Johnson became a co-owner of the league.
During his recent interview with CNBC, The Rock was asked about the latest deal between WWE and Endeavour. And the merger between WWE and UFC. Dwayne said that he sees ‘smooth sailing’ between both parties. He also revealed that Vince and Ari Emanuel have known each other for a very long time. The former wrestler-turned-actor also considered the deal to be a ‘Long time coming’.
WWE has officially been sold to Endeavour. This is a HUGE deal. pic.twitter.com/sJtpiGdqis
— Pro Wrestling Finesse (@ProWFinesse) April 3, 2023
“And when I say smooth sailing, I mean these guys are adamant on creating an incredible conglomerate that’s gonna entertain the masses. And I think between WWE, UFC, bull riding, and probably some of the other things that are coming down the pike. I’m excited about this merger,” Johnson further stated.
Furthermore, The Rock also compared McMahon’s success story with his ‘Seven Bucks moment’. The Great One recalled how he had only seven bucks in his bucket when he was cut from Canadian Football before joining WWE. Similarly, how Vince leveraged all his money for the first-ever WrestleMania. And decades later he created a merger for billion of dollars. That was indeed Vince’s ‘Seven Bucks moment’.
Will The Rock return to WWE?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been one of the biggest stars ever produced by WWE over the course of their history. Until now, The Brahma Bull has not announced his retirement from in-ring competition as well. However, his last high-profile WWE appearance occurred at WrestleMania 32, back in 2016.
During another public appearance, Dwayne was asked about his future with the biggest wrestling promotion. He was also asked whether he would invest in the company or take up any executive role in the future. Johnson candidly responded to the question, eventually revealing he spoke to the Co-CEO of WWE, Nick Khan.
Rock stated that he is not sure whether a role of an executive or a board seat in the company is in his future.