The WWE Network will debut their newest original documentary Liv Forever on November 29, a documentary revolving around one half of the Riott Squad, Liv Morgan.
Morgan wrote on Twitter that for the past 16 months, she had documented her life behind the scenes as a WWE Superstar and not everything is what it seems. “But now you can finally see it all. On November 29th, you get to learn the truth and I get to LIV FOREVER,” she wrote.
WWE Network documentaries often take months, and sometimes years, to produce and are some of the best programming you can see on the WWE Network.
On a related subject, a WWE Chronicle special on WWE Superstar Lana will be airing this Sunday as well.
Credit One Bank, one of the nation’s fastest-growing issuers of credit cards, is adding to its sports and entertainment marketing efforts and cobrand portfolio through a new, wide-ranging multi-year partnership with WWE. This partnership will include a themed credit card featuring must-have benefits tailored for ultimate WWE fans.
“Credit One Bank is now a proud partner of WWE, a leader in global sports entertainment, which will allow us to leverage WWE’s broad media platform through integrated content that will be sure to amaze and delight fans. This relationship will help us reach new consumers, extend our leading product and service offerings to our millions of card members, and ultimately give people more of what they love-something that aligns well with WWE’s approach to developing family-friendly entertainment accessible to fans across multiple platforms,” said John Coombe, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Credit One Bank.
Credit One Bank messaging will be integrated into upcoming WWE pay-per-view events including Survivor Series this Sunday, November 22 and Tables, Ladders & Chairs on Sunday, December 20, both streaming live around the world on WWE Network. Additional integrations will be featured across WWE’s digital platforms including YouTube, the world’s #1 sports channel.
“We are proud to partner with Credit One Bank on this multi-faceted partnership which will provide exciting opportunities for WWE fans and Credit One card members,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “We are confident the WWE Universe will enjoy the offerings we are creating as part of this integrated campaign.”
In addition, WWE and Credit One Bank will collaborate on upcoming benefits and customer experiences for current and future Credit One Bank card members. Previous WWE activations have focused on dynamic fan experiences that only the WWE can offer, ranging from trips to a “Fantasy Camp” at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to VIP Experiences at WWE live events.
WWE’s partnership with Cameo started with The Undertaker doing 30 personalized videos…for $1,000 each! The number 30 is obviously for his 30th anniversary with WWE and as of time of this writing, only 10 Cameos were left.
This is the first time that WWE is actively pushing a partnership with Cameo after forcing its Superstars to stop doing personalized videos on the service. WWE will be introducing more of these videos but everything will fall under the WWE banner and WWE will get the majority of the fee paid.
Most WWE Superstars left on Cameo all have their accounts paused with a “notify me when available” button on their account.
NXT had a bad night in competition against Dynamite with the show getting only 638,000 viewers this week, an increase of just 6,000 viewers from last week despite two title matches. The show had a low 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic and finished outside the top 50 cable chart in #56. This is the third straight week which NXT failed to crack the top 50 chart and had a whopping 212,000 viewers less than Dynamite, an increase from last week’s 132,000 difference. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW’s Dynamite got a huge win in the ratings against NXT on Wednesday, with 850,000 viewers tuning in, an increase of 86,000 viewers from the previous week. The show had a 0.37 rating in the 18-49 demographic and got Dynamite in #7 in the top 50 cable chart. This was the most-watched Dynamite since September 30. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
To enjoy the great road trip the perfect car is a must. You need different types of cars according to your traveling nature. Like if you are moving on the stretchy road then you need a car with great mileage. But, if you are going out to explore camping roadsides, you may need a car with a lot of cargo space.
We recommend you to Rent A Car instead of using your own to avoid extra tear and wear. Renting a car is a smart choice if you choose the car wisely. Always make sure to choose the right car rental company and your vehicle according to your trip nature.
We have collected 5 best cars to rent for your next road trip. Hire any of those to enjoy a memorable trip to the UAE.
Toyota Camry
Camry is best if you are going out for a road trip with your family as 5 to 6 persons can adjust easily inside this car. It comes with a pre-collision system and pedestrian detection system for a safe driving experience. MPG of the Camry is 26 and it has the cargo spa inside for your convenience. The safety features of this car make it best for long road trips. You can rent it out easily from any Dubai rental company on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Chevy Silverado
If you are looking for an adventurous SUV for your road trip to the UAE, then Chevy Silverado is the best choice for you. It has plenty of cargo space and it comes with exceptional capabilities. It also has ample room for small fridges, record players, and other essentials. Make sure to hire it before your vacation if you want to explore the adventurous side of UAE that includes desert trips and much more.
Mustang Ford
This car is a favorite of many travelers as it is highly convertible. If you are a group of 4 then this car is the best choice for you. It is also perfect if you are a solo traveler because you can have a quite memorable trip in this car. It is available to rent in different luxury Monthly Car Rental Dubai agencies. We recommend this sports car as it is a blend of power plus style. Not only the exterior, but this car is also even more classy and awesome from inside. Also recommended for the couple for their first honeymoon trip in Dubai.
Mazda 6
If you are in love with a sporty sedan then you should get a Mazda 6. It is a perfect choice with its stylish and comfy interior. We added this to our list as it offers the ultimate level of comfort that is crucial if you are on a road trip. The other features of the Mazda 6 include wheel-mounted control, sound control, the best navigation system, blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, and much more. Moreover, it’s quiet cabin helps to block all the exterior noise and make your trip more comfortable.
Land Rover defender
This car along with its form and function is one of the best choices for your next off-road trip. If you want to explore different sites in UAE like the deserts, mountainside in Al Ain, etc then book this car as it is best to tackle muddy and rocky terrain. This car comes with a suspension and traction mode that can be dialed according to different grounds. Its 3D camera is turned on if this vehicle is in water for wade sense to gauge the depth and navigate around 35 inches. Rent this car to enjoy the adventurous trip in UAE from any professional car rental Dubai company.
Final thoughts
We have recommended you 5 best cars for your next offroad trip with your friends and family. Make sure to rent a car according to your group size and stay duration to avoid extra charges. To get professional car rental services, contact RentalcarsUAE for professional and affordable services. You can rent an automobile here according to your budget. Happy traveling!
Winter is coming. No, it’s not Game of Thrones, but that’s the actual name that All Elite Wrestling chose as the theme for the December 2 episode of Dynamite on TNT.
The themed event will be headlined by what is being billed as the biggest match in the history of Dynamite, with AEW champion Jon Moxley defending his title against Kenny Omega.
Moxley and Omega were supposed to have a contract signing yesterday but as it’s often the case, things didn’t go according to plan. While Omega did his part, Moxley did not show up because someone took him out backstage, leaving him out cold as referees attended to him.
Omega wasn’t impressed by what he saw but still went ahead and signed the contract.
SAG-AFTRA, a union representing over 160,000 entertainers, today wrote on Twitter that they had a “powerful conversation” with Thea Trinidad, who until last week was wrestling in WWE under the name of Zelina Vega.
Vega was fired last Friday before Smackdown, but Vega knew what was coming and decided to go down in a blaze of glory, tweeting that she supported unionization. 10 minutes later, WWE tweeted that Vega was fired. SAG-AFTRA, and its president, Gabrielle Carteris, tweeted to Trinidad their support and Carteris even gave her e-mail address so Trinidad could reach out.
“We support her and others as they work to protect and empower themselves,” SAG-AFTRA’s tweet today continued.
WWE later confirmed that Trinidad was fired for breach of contract after she refused to stop using Twitch and then created an OnlyFans account.
Trinidad said that the conversation with SAG-AFTRA was “very powerful indeed” and thanked them for their time and insight. SAG-AFTRA has vowed to work with professional wrestlers to help them.
Over the last decade or so we have seen a huge shift in how wrestling is viewed and digested. Due to this, we have seen an improvement in the athletic ability modern wrestlers. This shift is most obvious in female wrestlers, who are currently having a bit of a golden period. Below we have taken a look at some of the best female wrestlers to have graced the ring in the last ten years.
Nikki Bella
Many wrestling fans might be a bit surprised to find her on the list, but nobody can deny how far she took her wrestling career throughout the decade. When 2010 started, her and her sister were simply just extras in the women’s division. It was not until she featured on Total Divas, a reality TV show, that WWE started to see her as a main star. In 2014, Bella won the WWE Divas Championship, and she held the title for 301 days, which is a record. During this period, she improved her in-ring game significantly. In fact, she improved so much that she became a regular in the division when it started to develop in 2016. Her last in-ring match was in 2018 when she starred at Evolution PPV next to Ronda Rousey, which emphasized just how big she had become.
Shayna Baszler
When people discuss performers that have transitioned from mixed martial arts to wrestling, many will immediately think of Ronda Rousey. However, when it comes to impact on the brand, Rousey’s training partner and friend actually tops her. Baszler transitioned to wrestling a full three years before Rousey did and trained under the guidance of Mercedes Martinez. Therefore, by the time the Mae Young Classic came around, she had a much more defined style in the ring. In 2018, she arrived in NXT, which was a scene that was dominated by Asuka. The brand needed a new star, and Baszler happily took up that mantle. Over the next two years Baszler beat everyone that came up against her. In 2019, she was the NXT Women’s Champion for all but 14 days, which is an amazing feat. Some of the talented wrestlers that she beat included Binaca Belair, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, and Candice Le Rae. We do not think there are many that will argue with Baszler being on this list.
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Asuka
Before she arrived on the WWE scene in 2015, Asuka was an intimidating and dominating presence throughout Japan. She gained such a reputation that when she signed with NXT, she was the most hotly anticipated wrestler in the brand’s history. She was undefeated and unpinned for a staggering 914 days. Her achievements during this time include a long reign as NXT Champion – a title that she never lost. She would later go on to make even more history by being the first woman to win the Royal Rumble. She continues to take part in top class matches, but she is no longer as popular as she was a few years ago.
The match that she had at the end of 2018 with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch was voted by CBS Sports as the Match of the Year.
lo Shirai
At just 29 years of age, it is safe to say that she still has plenty of years left in her. This is quite amazing in itself when you take into consideration what she has achieved so far in her short career. Before she made her debut in 2007, she was a tag team wrestler, but during her time in Stardom she went on to become one of the top wrestlers in Japan. She won the Wonder of Stardom title twice and was an Artist of Stardom champion no fewer than six times. She made her debut in WWE in 2018 in the second of the Mae Young Classics, and she came second behind Toni Storm. She first started off as a colourful character, but she recently changed her character to a more cold-hearted one, which has gone down very well with wrestling fans.
Sasha Banks
In 2018, Banks paired up with Bayley and became the first ever women’s pairing to become Tag Team champions. When she first appeared on the wrestling scene, many people thought that she was arrogant, but we feel that it matched perfectly with her ability in the ring. Her matches against Bayley in 2015 were big standouts in her wrestling career, but she also had a very fine 2016. Throughout this year she found herself participating in a number of first time ever matches such as the inaugural Women’s Hell in a Cell Match. Her best match in 2016 was the Falls Count Anywhere bout against Charlotte Flair. Despite her young age, she has done an awful lot in the world of wrestling. Her harshest critics will say that she is reckless when in the ring and can endanger herself or her opponent, but when she is on form there are not many better female wrestlers to watch.
Becky Lynch
Nobody can deny that Lynch had an outstanding decade, especially when you remember that she had semi-retired before the decade began. However, three years later, in 2013, she decided that she was not finished as a wrestler just yet and signed for the NXT brand. She became part of the Four Horsewomen and was a consistent and solid member. However, in 2018, it looked like she was lagging behind the other members and was out of the spotlight. However, all that changed the following year as one solitary blow to Flair at SummerSlam turned her career around and put it back on the right path. The WWE Universe started to give her more support, and she did not hide away from any fights. She can now consider herself to be one of wrestling’s biggest stars, even up there with some of the best male wrestlers. Nowadays, the sky is the limit for Becky.
Charlotte Flair
Wrestling runs in Flair’s family, which could be seen right away as she progressed much quicker than her peers. She has only been an active wrestler since 2012, but it is easy to see why many consider her to be the greatest female wrestler of all time, not just the last ten years. During her short wrestling career, she has been the RAW Women champion four times, she was the first Divas champion, she was the first woman wrestler to main event SmackDown, Raw, and PPV, and she has been the smackdown Women champion no fewer than five times. While wrestling fans will probably disagree with some of the inclusions on our list, we highly doubt anyone will question whether Flair should be here or not.
WWE moving to Tropicana Field means that fans will be treated to a stadium show twice a week for at least three months as the company takes over the domed building for a residency.
Opened in March 1990 for a total cost of $130 million at the time, the Tropicana Field has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team and also hosted the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL and Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL.
With a total capacity of 42,735 seats, allowing fans to watch Raw and Smackdown should not be an issue as the large domed venue will allow plenty of social distancing. The stadium is the only MLB field with a fixed, slanted roof.
Tropicana Field sits around 120 miles away – a two hour drive – from the WWE Performance Center so while it’s farther away than the Amway Center, remaining in relatively close proximity in Florida is a win for the company as many of its stars reside in the state. The Florida Governor also paved the way for stadiums and arenas to operate at full capacity, leaving it up to sports teams and other tenants to manage how much fans they want at each event.
The stadium is owned by the City of St. Petersburg.
Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, The Undertaker said that for him, he’s “100% done” and has no intention of lacing up his boots again. But while Taker is adamant that his in-ring career is officially done, there’s one tiny problem.
“But there’s this guy that lives up in Stamford, Connecticut, who lives by the motto, ‘never say never,'” he told Helwani, obviously referring to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. Taker revealed in the past that McMahon was not a fan of how The Last Ride documentary ended and requested that he change it, adding the “never say never” line just in case of “in emergency break glass.”
Taker said that he’s at peace with himself over the ending of his career and if he physically could do this forever, he would as he enjoys it that much.
“Physically I’m just not at a point where I can go out and be Undertaker – the Undertaker people expect to see when they pay money to see me wrestle. I’m just not physically there anymore,” he said bluntly.
The struggle to get in shape for every WrestleMania, and the recovery afterward, is highlighted in his five-chapter docuseries. It’s clearly an issue physically, an issue which continued to get worse by every year that went by.
But this Sunday at the Survivor Series, The Undertaker will be live at the ThunderDome for his final farewell. Unfortunately, the fans won’t be in the arena but thousands will be there virtually and watching via pay-per-view and WWE Network.
“I’ve got a fan base that has pretty much stayed with me for 30 years,” he said. “I kind of feel like I owe it to my fans to be able to go out and let them understand how important they were to me. How much they sustained me in times where either I had something personal or emotional going on, or physically going on. I just feel like I have to go out there and tell them what they meant to me, and how much it meant for me to be Undertaker for so long.”
And while there will be no bets on The Undertaker if he will be wrestling or not this Sunday on pay-per-view, Smartbettingguide is offering some betting deal and best casinos in real time.
The Survivor Series will forever by synonymous with his debut back in 1990. Since then, The Undertaker participated in 17 Survivor Series pay-per-views, with his last in-ring match coming in 2015 for his 25th anniversary special.
The Undertaker Survivor Series appearances: 1990 (Million Dollar Team), 1991 (vs Hulk Hogan), 1992 (vs Kamala), 1993 (The All-Americans team), 1994 (vs Yokozuna), 1995 (The Darkside team), 1996 (vs Mankind), 1998 (vs Kane), 2000 (vs Kurt Angle), 2001 (Team WWF), 2003 (vs Vince McMahon), 2004 (vs Heidenreich), 2006 (vs Mr Kennedy), 2007 (vs Batista), 2008 (vs Big Show), 2009 (vs Big Show and Chris Jericho), and 2015 (with Kane vs Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper).
Starting December 11, WWE will be airing Raw and Smackdown from the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the “next iteration” of the ThunderDome takes shape inside the domed baseball stadium.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are excited to welcome WWE to Tropicana Field for this residency and shine a spotlight on the Tampa Bay area for WWE fans around the world,” said Matt Silverman, Tampa Bay Rays President. “The ballpark will be transformed to host the spectacle of WWE ThunderDome, allowing fans to enjoy this wildly popular experience virtually.”
In a press release issued today, WWE said that Raw, Smackdown, and pay-per-views will continue to take place behind a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance. WWE will continue to administer its health and safety protocols for talent, crew and employees in conjunction with each production, including PCR testing for COVID-19, social distancing and wearing masks.
“We are proud to have reimagined the in-arena atmosphere and provide an interactive experience like nothing else in sports and entertainment with the launch of WWE ThunderDome,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Production. “Our fans’ response and industry-wide recognition are both humbling and further validation of the innovative spirit and passion that exist across the entire WWE organization.”
Brian Flinn, WWE Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, said that the new location will give them “unmatched” live spectacle and it would not have been possible without the support of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Flinn also thanked the Amway Center for their hospitality over the past four months.
The next NXT Takeover: WarGames will take place on Sunday, December 6 exclusively on the WWE Network. This was announced last night during the NXT episode on USA Network.
This is the fourth consecutive year that NXT is running with the WarGames match after WWE reintroduced it in 2017. It will take place inside the Capitol Wrestling Center, and while the location is fine for one ring, it will be interesting to see how the setup looks with a double ring in such a smaller space.
There will be two WarGames matches during the event, one featuring the women and one with the men. The women’s match will have Team Shotzi Blackheart vs Team Candice LaRae. No participants were announced for each team.
The men’s match has not been announced yet but judging from last night’s angle, it will feature The Undisputed Era taking on Pat McAfee’s group. The Undisputed Era has been involved in every WarGames main event since 2017.
Renee Paquette, the artist formerly known as Renee Young in WWE, is pregnant with her first child. The announcement was made during a Jon Moxley promo on Dynamite last night.
Mox and Paquette had been dating since 2013 and got married four years later while the duo worked for WWE. Both are now no longer working for the promotion, with Moxley moving to All Elite Wrestling while Paquette leaving a few months ago. She has not done any on-screen work since then and this week announced her new podcast called Oral Sessions.
After the promo aired, Paquette wrote on Twitter that now she can finally start telling everyone “just how sore my boobs are.”
Bayley also wondered what’s cuter – the way the world found out about her pregnancy or the way she found out. “100% the way you found out. I thought I was texting Jon a pregnancy update. I was in fact, texting Bayley,” Paquette replied.
Episode nine of season two of Miz & Mrs, titled Mizanin Family Tradition, drew a total of 666,000 viewers on Monday following Raw. It had a 0.23 rating in the 18-49 demo and placed #29 on the top 50 cable chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
It’s pay-per-view time once again and this Sunday WWE will celebrate 30 years of The Undertaker with the 2020 Survivor Series.
We will take a look at the early odds for the show below provided by Sports Betting Dime and then you can come back on Sunday when we publish the final odds before the show goes on the air.
One of the main events of the show was changed after Drew McIntyre beat Randy Orton on Raw this past Monday. McIntyre, now the WWE champion, will take on Universal champion Roman Reigns. Despite his fresh win, McIntyre is the underdog with +150 odds while the tribal chief is the favorite with -200 odds.
In the Raw vs Smackdown Women’s champions match, Sasha Banks is currently the favorite with odds of -160 while Asuka is +120 to win. The last time these two wrestled, Asuka won the Raw Women’s title at SummerSlam just a month after Banks beat Asuka on Raw for the title via count-out when Asuka went to help Kairi Sane who was getting beat by Bayley backstage.
It’s all undecided for the match between The New Day and The Street Profits, who are the Raw Tag Team and Smackdown Tag Team champions respectively. The jury is still out on this one, with the odds set to -120 for both set of teams.
Bobby Lashley is unsurprisingly the favorite to win his match against Sami Zayn. Lashley, the current United States champion, is at -325 odds while the Intercontinental champion Zayn is at +215.
The women’s traditional five-on-five elimination match will see Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans, and Peyton Royce taking on Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Bianca Belair, and two others still to be determined. Team Smackdown is the favorite to win at -170 while Team Raw is at +130.
And for the men’s traditional five-on-five elimination match, it’s Team Raw which is the favorite for now. Team Raw will have AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Riddle taking on Team Smackdown consisting of Kevin Owens, Jay Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, and another member still to be determined. Team red is at -180 to win while team blue is at +140.
The Survivor Series airs this Sunday on the WWE Network starting at 7PM ET. A paid subscription is required to watch the event.
WWE is packing and moving out of the Amway Center and relocating the ThunderDome to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The news was broken by Jon Alba of Spectrum Sports 360 while the @WrestleVotes Twitter account added that WWE will be staying at Tropicana through WrestleMania.
WWE’s contract with the Amway Center runs through November 24, which is next week and WWE has to vacate the building quickly as sports teams will be returning to the Amway in December, including for the start of the new NBA season.
@WrestleVotes mentioned as well that the Royal Rumble will probably be held inside Tropicana Field with fans inside the building. The stadium holds over 40,000 so social distancing will not be an issue. It will be interesting to see how WWE configures the baseball stadium to fit the ThunderDome concept and if any fans will be allowed once the move is done.
WWE will have to leave Tropicana by the beginning of the new MLB 2021 season which starts on April 1.
Tonight’s NXT on USA Network will be headlined by the NXT Women’s title match, a Takeover-worthy match featuring champion Io Shirai defending against former champion Rhea Ripley. Ripley is looking to become a two-time NXT Women’s champ, joining only Charlotte Flair and Shayna Baszler to accomplish such feat.
Johnny Gargano will try to get back his NXT North American title as he gets his rematch against new champ Leon Ruff. Ruff shocked the wrestling world last week when – with a little bit of assist from Damien Priest – beat Gargano to become the new North American champion! A blindfold match between Cameron Grimes and Dexter Lumis was just announced as well.
Also, NXT champion Finn Balor will be making an appearance, his first one since breaking his jaw in two places at NXT Takeover 31. Balor will address the state of the NXT title tonight.
To continue the celebration of The Undertaker’s 30-year anniversary in WWE, USA Network will air chapter one of Undertaker: The Last Ride tonight immediately following the conclusion of NXT at 10PM ET. This is the first time that any episode of The Last Ride will air on cable television.
This is the same episode that is part of the incredible WWE Network series which chronicles the last few years of Undertaker’s active career in WWE. The series, which has five chapters in total, received rave reviews from fans and critics and is considered to be the best WWE Network original documentary ever produced.
Taker will receive his final farewell this Sunday at the Survivor Series and The Phenom will be at the ThunderDome live in person at the event which he made his debut 30 years earlier to the date!
Apple, Google, Tesla — those are the caliber of companies that everyday business leaders look to for insights to use themselves, and rightfully so. However, you can glean valuable information from a host of other corporations, some of which you’d least expect.
Enter Ultimate Fighting Championship, mostly known as UFC. Yes, the mixed martial arts fighting promotion. Before you laugh or turn your nose up on us, give us a chance to convince you otherwise. The UFC over its controversial, but successful history, has proven its business chops in unconventional ways. Here’s five big takeaways:
Avoid The Naysayers
As we alluded to, UFC is no stranger to controversy. And with that, comes critics. Lots of critics. In UFC’s early days, they almost single-handedly brought the company down and if not for both persistence and acceptance from UFC brass, the critics would’ve probably prevailed.
While punching, kicking, and choking an opponent inside an octagon ring is accepted in society nowadays, it wasn’t in the mid ‘90s when UFC was first birthed. Government officials — most notably ex-presidential candidate John McCain — tried to shut down the sport repeatedly over the violence, which they deemed “human cockfighting.”
However, UFC officials fought back and admittedly, accepted some of the criticism. They instituted weight classes and more rules to avoid mismatched fights. It worked and politicians slowly backed off, letting the sport flourish. So listen to the critics, sort of, but don’t completely cave in to them, either.
Sell When The Time Is Right
Up until 2016, the UFC was mostly a family-run business. Two brothers — Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta — saved the company from sure-fire bankruptcy in the early 2000s with a $2 million purchase. Up until then, the Fertitta’s had made their fortune running a multitude of casinos in Las Vegas.
But none of that casino success would compare to their sale of the company 16 years later for a grand-whopping $4 billion to WME-IMG (now known as Endeavor). No, that’s not a typo either. If you do math, that’s a 200X return on the initial buy in less than two decades.
Of course, the brothers had a soft spot for the UFC, which along with president Dana White, had built almost from the ground up. But everyone has a price — and for the Fertitta’s, that was $4 billion. It’s a good reminder to never get too attached to your work that you’ll let a once-in-a-lifetime offer go to waste.
Build Around Your Talent
Every for-profit organization has superstar talent — marketers, salesmen, accountants, recruiters, etc. But in the UFC, the superstars are the fighters themselves that draw box-office crowds and pay-per-view buys. No matter the skill set, a good organization knows to maximize that talent.
Look no further than one Connor McGregor. He’s UFC’s cash cow — one because of his own talents, but also because UFC’s savvy promotion.
Take his one-off boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather for example. How many companies would allow their top talent to play with the competition (boxing in this case)? Not many. UFC did, however, and it only made McGregor a bigger star with casual fans, which they’ve since lured to UFC events.
Pivot When Business Demands It
Media is undergoing a seismic shift as you read this. Over-the-top streaming networks such as Netflix and Hulu have changed how people watch content. With that, traditional TV and pay-per-view (PPV) models have fallen by the wayside.
The latter of which was UFC’s big revenue-driver at one time. However, in 2019, the company signed an exclusive contract with ESPN that would put all of its PPV events on the network’s ESPN+ streaming service and nowhere else. It was the perfect pivot on UFC’s behalf before traditional PPV lost all of its luster (which it mostly has since).
Solve, Not Sit Back
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, UFC flung into action rather than inaction. It was the first pro sports organization to return to business — with strict testing, social-distancing requirements, and even a government-sanctioned location they called “Fight Island.” All the while the MLB and NBA grappled with a return strategy for months longer.
That quick reaction from UFC was rewarded handsomely. UFC 249 generated 700,000-plus PPV buys and it was one of the most bet-on events in UFC history. It pays to take action quickly.
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