During Wednesday’s earnings report for the first quarter of 2026, an analyst asked about if the company was concerned with the potential of pullback after the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour received word that it would no longer receive funding. However, TKO President Mark Shapiro confirmed that its partnership with Saudi Arabia remains strong. Shapiro noted […]
WWE
Go Home Show for Wrestlemania draws 1.58M viewers
WWE Friday Night Smackdown drew 1.58M viewers for the last show prior to Wrestlemania 42. The telecast drew 572,000 viewers in the A18-49 demo per Programming Insider. The telecast was the highest-rated show for Smackdown in 2026 which boded well for Wrestlemania. The telecast was mainly a recap show but did include the Andre the […]
WWE announces cuts amid huge C-Suite raises
On Friday, the WWE announced the releases of at least 24 contracted wrestlers. This includes several WWE trainees as well as long-time talent. Notably, the Wyatt Six stable was cut. All had participated on the WWE Smackdown on Wrestlemania weekend. Also let go were the underutilized Motor City Machine Guns as their time on Smackdown […]
Filing reveals TKO exec pay for 2025
SEC filings on Thursday revealed the executive compensation for TKO Group Holdings which own the UFC and WWE. Notably, CEO Ari Emanuel led the report with an estimated $67.4 million. The amount includes stock wards of $44M and $8.1M in non-equity incentives. The non-equity incentives include an aircraft for personal use. In addition, Emanuel received […]
Man sits at WWE announce desk at Wrestlemania
Night two of Wrestlemania 42 was much better than night one. However, a peculiar production twist came during the broadcast when a man by the name of Adam Weitsman sat next to Wade Barrett and Michael Cole at the commentary desk. According to a report by Awful Announcing, the man is a “recycling magnate turned […]