Three changes fans may see with WWE UFC merger complete

The TKO Group was formed with the completion of the WWE and UFC merger. These are three changes fans may see in the coming months and years. 

The UFC and WWE merger is complete, giving birth to the TKO Group. Dana White, Triple H, Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, and others stood shoulder to shoulder as the business deal that shook the wrestling industry was finally done. Speculation is running on how things will change for both organizations, with many believing changes will be slow and minimal at best. Looking at what Endeavor has done as owners of the UFC, here are some early predictions that fans and viewers of WWE can expect to see in the coming years.

Increased Advertising Placements

Advertising in the UFC has been a controversial situation for years. What started with fighters assigning sponsors to key places on their shorts and walk-out banners, is now a space where those opportunities were removed from fighters. Instead, those sponsorship openings went to the UFC, who plaster nearly anything on the canvas of the ring, even allowing fans to buy spots for their names and more.

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Fans should not be surprised if there is more advertising around the ring in the WWE, with the eventual occurrence of placements showing up on the canvas itself. Think of professional boxing, where the ring has long been covered by popular brands. The same could be coming to WWE, where the ring canvas is a valuable space of real estate.

Crossover Placements

No one is expecting Roman Reigns to step into the Octagon or Valentina Shevchenko to take a match at WrestleMania. But UFC and WWE stars will begin to show up on the appropriate shows just to show face. Rey Mysterio (in the mask) recently popped up at a UFC PPV and was met with a standing ovation from fans. Are UFC stars popping up in the crowd like new signees did back in the days of NXT? That’s not too far of an idea. The MMA and professional wrestling target audience do as much of a crossover as most would expect but expect Endeavor to try to close that gap with crossover placements.

ESPN’s Role in Television Deal Negotiations

WWE’s television rights deal is coming up and there’s a lot of speculation about where the shows will land. While ESPN may be a long shot, fans should not be surprised if they become a player in the conversations. Nick Khan has a close relationship with ESPN. Endeavor has a close relationship with ESPN. ESPN has slowly embraced WWE more and more over the years. Could that network become a place where more WWE content shows up? Perhaps, and that would be a monumental moment for wrestling.