Back in January it was revealed that Vince McMahon had returned to WWE to sell the company. Earlier this week it was officially announced that Endeavor will acquire WWE, and WWE will merge with UFC to form one publicly traded company.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that Ari Emanuel and Endeavor pulled out of their business deals with Saudi Arabia after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The belief is that WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia will continue through the current terms of the deal which is for 20 events in total.
It’s being said that Saudi Arabia would have been interested in a similar deal with UFC, but Ari Emanuel never made the deal. However, it’s possible that Emanuel cold soften his stance and the deal with WWE could open the door to talks about a similar deal for UFC.
When WWE’s current deal with Saudi Arabia expires it will be up to Ari Emanuel to decide whether or not he wants the deal to continue, but that decision won’t need to be made until 2028. WWE’s next event in Saudi Arabia will be King and Queen of the Ring which will take place on Saturday, May 27 from Jeddah. Stay tuned for updates.
