Issue 210
October 2024
Kyle Dimond dives into the seismic UFC-WWE merger, uncovering the untapped crossover potential under TKO Group’s powerhouse banner.
In September 2023, a colossal merger was announced to see the UFC and WWE combine under one banner. TKO Group Holdings is an absolute powerhouse in the sports and entertainment world, but things get interesting when the line between those two sectors begins to blur. Sure, they’ve often influenced one another, but their growth will continue with the MMA and pro wrestling leaders now batting for the same team. One of the more unknown aspects of this significant change is how this could open up more opportunities for crossover between the promotions and their talent.
AN UNSPOKEN BOND
There has always been a bond between mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Of course, there’s the history of shootfighting and how that plays into the DNA of both by combining the two to varying degrees. Throughout the history of MMA, there have been glimpses of pro wrestling influence in the way certain fighters would carry themselves in the public eye. With fighters like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, an element of characterization helped propel both men to star status, even if unintentional. Not to mention their intense rivalry, which could easily be the stuff of a WrestleMania blood feud. Even though they weren’t reading a script or choreographing their matches, personalities like Liddell and Ortiz and the stories surrounding them are what would get people invested outside of simply watching two skilled fighters lock horns.
In the same way that the sole job of a professional wrestler is to elicit a response from the fans, this is an essential aspect of being an MMA fighter. That’s not to say that embracing a WWE persona is the only way to become a star in MMA. It’s different for everyone, and not one size fits all. However, when you look at the likes of Chael Sonnen or Colby Covington, who wear their wrestling influences on their sleeves, becoming a larger-than-life on-screen personality certainly turns heads.
THE BIG DRAWCARD
The most significant crossover between MMA and the WWE was through Brock Lesnar. He was already a star when he left the WWE to pursue the Octagon. After becoming UFC champion and drawing a lot of money for the promotion, his return to the ring was even more significant.
The WWE and other promotions began referencing MMA and the UFC rather than ignoring it. There was a rougher around-the-edges quality to MMA that had its place in pro wrestling alongside the theatrics, creating an unofficial exchange between the two. Pro wrestling capitalized on the growing popularity of MMA by incorporating the more rugged side to sports entertainment. In turn, the UFC and its fighters were influenced by the bold characters and compelling narratives that fans gravitated toward. Despite overlapping fan bases, the WWE and UFC weren’t singing from the same song sheet. This is best defined by The Undertaker watching UFC 121, where Lesnar faced Cain Velasquez. The WWE icon (real name Mark Calaway) has since revealed that Dana White was unaware that ‘The Deadman’ would be in attendance to build toward a match with Lesnar in the ring.
BLURRING THE LINES
Following the TKO deal, this unspoken bond between the two promotions has become a legitimate partnership. Whether it’s WWE’s chief content officer Triple H saying that he’s inspired by the UFC’s use of the Sphere at UFC 306 or ending his Bad Blood press conference early so that it wouldn’t clash with the main card for UFC 307, there is a sense of teamwork rather than an awkward exchange between acquaintances. We’ve had countless moments of overlap that showed the middle ground between the two. From Daniel Cormier being the special guest referee for a match between Seth Rollins and former UFC fighter Matt Riddle at Extreme Rules in 2022, to the controversial UFC fights of CM Punk during his long break from professional wrestling. What marked a breaking down of these barriers once and for all was on an episode of WWE Raw this past February, where a UFC fighter appeared, grabbed the mic, and cut a promo on the biggest star in the history of MMA.
THE WWE INVASION
On Monday, the 19th of February 2024, the WWE cameras cut to the front row where Michael Chandler was ready and waiting to take the mic. “Hey! What’s up, Anaheim! You are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet,” Chandler said while sitting on the barricade. He proceeded to call out Conor McGregor, who he was waiting to fight at the time.
This moment showed what was now possible between the WWE and the UFC. This was evidence of collaboration, using both brands to elevate each other, putting more eyes on both by using the crossover appeal of professional wrestling and fighting. Before this point, you might get former fighters making the odd appearance, like the bizarre WWE match between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez in 2019. This still left some unanswered questions about whether we should expect to see this cross-promotion more often, and that’s where ‘The Welsh Gangster’ comes in.
THE NEW OVERLAP
After a win on his Octagon debut at UFC 298, Oban Elliott met his hero backstage: CM Punk. Elliott was in a place to capitalize on the TKO merger as a huge pro wrestling fan, and he let this bleed into his personality when he was in front of cameras.
After exchanging pleasantries, the UFC welterweight would sit several rows behind Chandler when he cut his McGregor promo down a WWE lens. A few months later, at WWE’s Clash At The Castle event in Scotland, Elliott moved to the front row, courtesy of his new friend and TKO ally. This would go up yet another gear at WWE’s Bash In Berlin event, where the Welshman received a shout-out as if he were a celebrity sitting on the Octagon side. When Punk defeated Drew McIntyre, the former UFC fighter celebrated in the crowd alongside ‘The Welsh Gangster.’
With Elliott’s third UFC outing set for Madison Square Garden on the same night that Chandler returns against Oliveira, he’s even suggested that getting CM Punk to walk out with him could happen. It may not be an option for every UFC fighter to befriend one of the biggest stars in wrestling, but Elliott has made his childhood dream a reality when, just last year, it may not have been possible. As a result, Elliot has grown his profile in the same way a new pro wrestling pup joins a faction with a more established reputation.
OPENING THE FORBIDDEN DOOR
Is this just the start of more merging between the two companies that extends beyond the occasional pleasantries from Triple H or Dana White? Elliott has always had a persona in MMA that comes across through his walkouts or pro-wrestling-style promos down the hard cam. This isn’t going to be the case for every fighter, but for those who want to dial it up to the max and blend the worlds of sport and entertainment, there is an opportunity to go beyond being an MMA fighter with pro wrestling influence.
This is by no means advocating for fighters to become caricatures of themselves, but at the same time, putting on a show and playing up to the cameras a little has always existed in combat sports. This crossover also doesn’t mean you should expect to see UFC stars stepping through the ropes, though this is Oban Elliott’s goal, as he told Sherdog in an interview ahead of UFC 304.
“I’m a big wrestling fan, and that is something that I’m working on 100%, without a doubt,” he said. “I won’t say too much, but I’m working on it. I will finish, and I say this people who ask me, other people have asked me this question. If I can go from never having an MMA fight to saying I’m gonna fight in the UFC if I can go from that to that, I can say now, as a UFC fighter under the TKO banner, I’m going to finish my career as a WWE superstar, 100%. That’s how it’s going to end when I’m in my 40s and that.”
THE LINE IN THE SAND
It’s worth remembering that in WWE kayfabe, which is the fake reality that pro wrestling exists in where it treats itself as real, there isn’t much difference between a pro fighter and a pro wrestler. When Michael Chandler cut his McGregor promo, that’s not too dissimilar to The Rock doing it to Stone Cold. It’s just a less familiar face. When WWE champion Cody Rhodes brings the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall into the ring with him at WWE’s recent live event in Manchester, in the world of pro wrestling, they’re very similar even if we, the audience, know that not to be true. Aspinall doesn’t need the credibility of standing next to WWE champions in Rhodes and Gunther. However, seeing this even a decade ago would have left the fans at the intersection of both fanbases scratching their heads. The existence and popularity of the UFC no longer undermines everything that WWE stands for by pitting real fighting against fake fighting. They now stand side-by-side with one another, although Dana White isn’t likely to appear on WWE as an on-screen personality.
THE PATH FORWARD
WWE fans aren’t necessarily going to want an influx of MMA fighters taking spots off the stars they tune in to see on Raw and Smackdown. The TKO deal means that the WWE and UFC can work together and, through the talent on their rosters, continue to blend sports and entertainment. In the business world, they’re the equivalent of the mega powers when Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage combined to create the ultimate unstoppable duo. In the world of pro wrestling, they’re effectively the same, and the longer this partnership continues, the more likely it is that WWE and UFC stars will be put on the same pedestal even if they cater to different audiences and are selling different products with some crossover appeal. Most importantly, whether it’s the two companies that combine to form TKO or the names and figureheads that have made both industry leaders, they’re the best in the world at what they do.
