According to a report from Bloomberg, Vince McMahon is seeking as much as $9 billion from the sale of WWE. The asking price is 37% greater than the company’s $6.5 billion market value.
According to people familiar with the discussions, WWE has already received offers to purchase the company. Bloomberg noted several potential suitors including Endeavor Group Holdings Inc., the owner of Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as a Middle East-based group.
Endeavor is currently valued at $10.4 billion and would need financial help from a third party in order to purchase the WWE. The sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia is valued at $620 billion and owns stakes in companies such as Amazon, Uber, Google, Nintendo, Facebook, Disney, Starbucks, and Mariott.
Vince McMahon, who controls the company through his ownership of Class B shares, was reinstated to the WWE Board of Directors on January 6, 2023. The move was said to be part of Vince’s plan to pursue strategic options on their media rights negotiations and the possibility of a sale.
Last year McMahon suddenly announced his retirement from WWE on Twitter while he was under investigation for paying multiple women to keep quiet about alleged sexual affairs. The WWE then disclosed multiple expenses totaling $19.6 million, which forced the company to revise its financial statements for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
