Fans just witnessed the spectacle of WWE’s Crown Jewel, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Following the PLE, the promotion has announced multiple events they plan to host in various other countries. With the Bash in Berlin PLE held in August, fans will get to witness the Elimination Chamber in the city of Perth, Australia. However, an insider report about the preparations for the PLE revealed that WWE has broken its own record.
WWE is going all in
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select recently broke the news on his social media. According to TKO group’s CFO Andrew Schleimer, the group has paid a hefty site fee for their event in Perth. This happens to be one of the highest fees the promotion has ever paid for any event. These numbers exclude the amount paid for the events held in Saudi Arabia, as it is a multi-year deal.
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TKO CFO said that WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth will be WWE's largest site fee in history.
This likely doesn't include Saudi events pic.twitter.com/GiCsrP7irZ
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) November 7, 2023
Endeavor acquired the Stamford-based promotion which happens to be the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship. Also known as UFC, is a Las Vegas-based promotion that promotes combat sports. Dana White lies at the helm of the promotion and had stood opposed to long-time rival and now business partner of WWE proprietor Vince McMahon.
The deal was finalized in September this year and WWE earned a valuation that came up to $9.3 billion. Following the merger, both promotions now fall under a newly formed group called TKO. Moreover, TKO comes under the governance of Endeavor.
However, this is not the only financial triumph WWE had since its merger with the UFC. Apart from this fee paid for their PLE, one of its brands has found a new broadcasting home.
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WWE forges a new partnership
The black and gold brand of WWE, NXT has been in a bit of a mix lately. The brand has struggled a bit as it garners less viewership compared to the red and blue brands of the company. However, the promotion just struck a new deal which might change the fortunes for the rookie brand. A five-year deal has been signed between WWE and the CW network, after which they will broadcast the shows of NXT on a major television network.
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According to the deal, the broadcasting will start in October of 2024 and will feature 52 episodes of the brand per season. Previously, NXT was broadcast on the USA network along with Raw. On the other hand, SmackDown is aired on Fox Network. This deal will pave the way for better exposure for NXT and, in turn, fans might get to see Raw on the CW Network as well. Do you think with these new media rights and extravaganza PLEs, the TKO merger is the best thing that happened to the promotion?
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