WWE News: Vince McMahon Claims WWE Is ‘Open For Business’ When Asked About Selling The Company

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is a business man, and he would do anything needed to make a profit, including selling the WWE? You read that right; for the first time in quite a long time, McMahon openly admitted he would be willing to sell World Wrestling Entertainment, but it would have to be for the right price of course, and it could be quite steep.

During today’s quarterly earnings call, Vince was asked about the possibility of selling WWE, and he said that the company was open to anything. However, controlling their own destiny is the most important thing to him, and of course, his entire family.

Vince claimed that he was unsure how much control they would lose if they were absorbed by a major business or simply bought, but they were open to offers if they came their way mainly because they are business people. He then said, which is the most interesting part, that he was open to listening to offers about a possible sale. That means he would be willing to sell a billion dollar business if the right offer came along.

With UFC selling for over $4 billion this past summer, WWE sees itself as a company worth far more with a much brighter future. That means WWE would not sell for anything less than what UFC was bought for. It might seem insane that a pro-wrestling company would sell for over a billion dollars, but just like any business, you cannot just buy it for less than it is worth when it generates good profits.

The same investor, who asked the first question regarding a possibility of Vince McMahon being open to selling, asked if they were interested in receiving an offer that would allow them to still control their destiny, and Vince replied, “We’re open for business.”

WWE is known, as is often said by The Authority, for doing what is “best for business.” Triple H and Stephanie McMahon make sure the world knows they would do whatever it takes for the betterment of WWE. That means that anything needed to give the WWE a good future is going to happen if they feel it would help.

The problem with WWE is that despite how well they have been over the years, television ratings are down, which is not helpful. However, since the WWE Brand Split took place, WWE SmackDown Live has had some strong numbers that either bettered or matched previous numbers. Due to the lower WWE RAW ratings, SmackDown has managed to almost catch up to them in recent weeks.

While this is an issue, WWE Network ratings are up, and the storylines have improved since the brand split as well. WWE still does quite well in DVR numbers, and the stock price is also a positive factor. As a result, most observers would say this is the most profitable era in the history of WWE. However, do keep in mind that WWE was not publicly traded until the year 2000, which pushed them out of the highly successful Attitude Era. They did catch the tail end of it, to be fair.

However, some of WWE’s most memorable, yet sometimes terrible moments, such as the Katie Vick angle, actually happened after the end of the Attitude Era. However, the money that came in from the reorganization of the company, including changing the name to WWE, was certainly “best for business.” It allowed them to purchase all their competition in ECW and WCW, and from there, they were the only wrestling company worth talking about until 2009 when TNA Wrestling started to show up big.

Now, with the rise of social media, companies like NJPW, ROH, Lucha Underground, and others are getting a lot of notice. WWE is leading the social media world as well, which helps them a great deal with younger viewers and hardcore fans. WWE is also more accessible across various platforms, including their own network, Hulu, and other areas.The company also has television or cable deals in dozens of countries around the world.

Clearly, WWE is worth every penny they ask for, and if Vince McMahon does sell, it would have to be a life-altering amount. They do everything right from marketing their stars to handling things well backstage. You never hear one remark about WWE losing control of the locker room either, unlike in other organizations. On top of this, they have the biggest stars and pay the most normally.

That said, a sale is unlikely. However, the fact that Vince McMahon is open to offers is interesting. Just don’t expect him to agree to anything unless the price is sky high, and his family retains some reasonable amount of control.

[Featured image by WWE]