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WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

cnbc.com

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Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#21

Post by nailer »

rippercushions wrote: post #13

> UFC champion and superstar Conor McGregor lauded news of the pending deal Sunday evening. “Incredible. What a powerhouse!” he said in one tweet, following up with another tweet displaying an image of him brandishing UFC and WWE championship belts. I would not be happy about this if I was a UFC fighter/WWE wrestler, since less competition will mean less compensation. Where's the anti-trust busters when you need them…

There's a monopsony (buy-side monopoly) case against the UFC already, as the monopsony buyer of professional MMA services. WWE isn't MMA but rather combat-themed theatre though, so the merger shouldn't affect that.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#22

Post by whoknew1122 »

rippercushions wrote: post #13

> UFC champion and superstar Conor McGregor lauded news of the pending deal Sunday evening. “Incredible. What a powerhouse!” he said in one tweet, following up with another tweet displaying an image of him brandishing UFC and WWE championship belts. I would not be happy about this if I was a UFC fighter/WWE wrestler, since less competition will mean less compensation. Where's the anti-trust busters when you need them…

Both UFC and WWE athletes are already independent contractors and have to privately buy stuff like health insurance while participating in a literal combat sport (UFC) and wrestling over 200 days a year (WWE). It's already a race to the bottom.

The UFC and WWE have already vertically integrated their respective niches. They're pretty much the only game in town. If no one cared when WWE bought ECW and WCW--and no one cared when the UCF bought Strikeforce--nothing is gonna be done now.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#23

Post by dfxm12 »

skc wrote: post #4

Seems a bit of a strange marriage but I suppose there is some sense in former UFC fighters being able to extend their careers by hopping over to the WWE.

Seems a bit of a strange marriage

From a business perspective, they're pretty much the same, both being mostly based on negotiating TV rights fees and, to a lesser extent, promoting individual stars.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#24

Post by sschueller »

mmcgaha wrote: post #19
sschueller wrote: post #12

So Joe Rogan may become a WWE commentator? I find that hilarious as he isn't a wrestling fan. "Back in 2014, Joe Rogan caught heat from pro wrestling fans after making fun of wrestling when comparing it to MMA. Rogan noted that MMA was real, while wrestling "was some weird, f**ing jerk-off thing that strange guys do when they sit in front of the TV and pretend that they don't know it's fake." Rogan later said he was…

I have been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember. It is irritating to be in the middle of a show when someone walks in and feels the need to inform me that it is fake. They don't do that when I am watching a movie or television show. They don't even do it in other venues where it is a show such as monster truck jams. They only do it with wrestling (ok sometimes a moon landing documentary too).

I think it would be better if people would say that it is scripted as it is certainly a very physical activity requiring quite a bit of athleticism even if the hits may not be as hard as if they were "real".

In fact I would compare wrestling to what stuntmen do. Scripted but very real in most ways.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#25

Post by [deleted] »

mmcgaha wrote: post #19
sschueller wrote: post #12

So Joe Rogan may become a WWE commentator? I find that hilarious as he isn't a wrestling fan. "Back in 2014, Joe Rogan caught heat from pro wrestling fans after making fun of wrestling when comparing it to MMA. Rogan noted that MMA was real, while wrestling "was some weird, f**ing jerk-off thing that strange guys do when they sit in front of the TV and pretend that they don't know it's fake." Rogan later said he was…

I have been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember. It is irritating to be in the middle of a show when someone walks in and feels the need to inform me that it is fake. They don't do that when I am watching a movie or television show. They don't even do it in other venues where it is a show such as monster truck jams. They only do it with wrestling (ok sometimes a moon landing documentary too).

[deleted]

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#26

Post by [deleted] »

rippercushions wrote: post #13

> UFC champion and superstar Conor McGregor lauded news of the pending deal Sunday evening. “Incredible. What a powerhouse!” he said in one tweet, following up with another tweet displaying an image of him brandishing UFC and WWE championship belts. I would not be happy about this if I was a UFC fighter/WWE wrestler, since less competition will mean less compensation. Where's the anti-trust busters when you need them…

[deleted]

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#27

Post by chaorace »

Quarrelsome wrote: post #8

If I were a UFC fan then I would be concerned about the integrity of UFC, given the pure entertainment and narrative focus that an organisation like WWE has. There will be moments where WWE execs or simply WWE practices and processes will realise that a certain UFC outcome will be much better entertainment. The question is whether or not everyone will forever have the integrity to ignore that as an option and if the…

> Could it maybe work the other way, start to make the WWE more real?

That would be a tragic mistake for everyone involved. People like being in on the joke when John Cena, a grown man costumed in neon green, runs around the square stage whilst pretending to be invisible. It would ruin the fun if his opponent unceremoniously dropkicked him in the solar plexus.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#28

Post by astura »

akmarinov wrote: post #6

Ouch, top WWE guys about to be making $20/hour

WWE performers are already underpaid. They are non-unionized independent contractors who cover their own travel costs and get no medical benefits. Less than 10% of revenue is dedicated to talent in WWE, whereas it's around 40-50% for unionized sports.

https://wrestletalk.com/news/comparison-wwe-stars-greatly-un...

It's been reported there are performers who make more money streaming on Twitch than wrestling.

https://www.thesportster.com/news/zelina-vega-more-money-twi...

For UFC it's around 15% of revenue.

https://www.fightful.com/mma/report-ufc-fighters-received-ju...

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#29

Post by kevinmchugh »

dfxm12 wrote: post #23
skc wrote: post #4

Seems a bit of a strange marriage but I suppose there is some sense in former UFC fighters being able to extend their careers by hopping over to the WWE.

Seems a bit of a strange marriage From a business perspective, they're pretty much the same, both being mostly based on negotiating TV rights fees and, to a lesser extent, promoting individual stars.

Developing talent as well, something the UFC is not very good at (and has been ignoring thoroughly lately)
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