WWE & UFC Parent TKO Beats Q1 Forecasts And Ups Full-Year Guidance

TKO Group Holdings, parent of the WWE and UFC, said “strength and momentum” at both subsidiaries powered first-quarter financial results.

Revenue handily exceeded Wall Street forecasts, reaching $1.27 billion, while earnings per share hit 69 cents, also ahead of estimates. The profit figure compared with a loss of $1.26 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.

The company also raised its full-year guidance for revenue and adjusted EBITDA. Excluding the impact of recently acquired businesses IMG, On Location and PBR, the company increased its targets for revenue to $3.005 billion to $3.075 billion, from $2.93 billion to $3 billion. It boosted adjusted EBITDA targets to $1.39 billion to $1.43 billion, from $1.35 billion to $1.39 billion.

Kevin Nash Defends Triple H’s Long WWE Hall of Fame Speech

“That was my whole thing (wanting to hear stories from Triple H). I think that — I mean, if Paul doesn’t go into the Hall of Fame that night, I’m not at WrestleMania. That was the reason I went. It wasn’t like Paul was stammering and I mean, it was just — he was gracious with the amount of people that he thanked. And there’s nobody that’s had that run. Nobody’s had that run. Nobody’s a 14-time world champion and the face of the company as creative-slash-face of the company. And nobody said — people are like, ‘I can’t believe that he’s so full of himself that he called it the Paul Levesque era.’ Paul never called it the Paul Levesque era. Other people made that statement, that it was now the Levesque era. That never came out of Paul’s mouth.”

credit Kliq This 411mania.com for the transcription.

Kevin Nash Weighs-In On Rumored Triple H and The Rock Backstage Drama

Hall-of-Famer and long-time Paul “Triple H” Levesque pal Kevin Nash weighed in on whether there is any fire to the smoke, claiming the head of WWE creative and The Rock have backstage issues.

Most assumed that WrestleMania 41 would close with The Rock making his rumored return to cost Cody Rhodes his WWE title and add another chapter to their ongoing feud. However, “The Final Boss” was nowhere to be found in April. His absence led to a lot of speculation, and former announcer Jonathan Coachman claimed the pair of legends are having backstage issues.

Kevin Nash knows Triple H more than the majority of the planet. That’s why he unsurprisingly offered up his thoughts on the rumors. And he believes there are no emerging creative issues between the WWE executive and the TKO Group Holdings board member.

“I don’t see the tension. Does anybody know what IMDb is? And then you go to their page, and you see the projects he has? Dwayne is pretty busy. You have to realize he still has skin in the game. He still has ring time left, and he wants certain things to align a certain way for him. Dwayne is not looking at what’s best for the company. He’s looking at what’s best for the character.”

source: ringsideintel.com

Levesque Family

Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff Launch Real American Freestyle Wrestling League

Earlier this week, WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff reunited in an nWo style video on X, teasing the two would have a new project that involved a third man. Given Bischoff's second life in wrestling as a podcaster, most assumed the project would be related to that, perhaps involving Bischoff's co-host Conrad Thompson. But the revelation on Wednesday proved to be something no one could see coming; freestyle wrestling.

Taking to X on Wednesday morning with a new video, Hogan and Bischoff announced the formation of the Real American Freestyle Wrestling League. They also revealed their third man was Izzy Martinez, a freestyle wrestling coach known for working with several UFC fighters, including Jon Jones and Holly Holm, whom Martinez notably coached in the lead up to her upset victory over Ronda Rousey.

More details about the venture were provided to the Associated Press and Forbes, with Hogan revealing he conceived the idea while watching Oklahoma State wrestler Wyatt Henderson defeat Minnesota standout and former WWE star Gable Steveson to win the NCAA national championship in March. Hogan, Bischoff, and Martinez hope to involve both Henderson and Steveson in RAFWL, which they say will consist of eight men's classes and four women's classes. So far, only Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blade has committed to the league, with Hogan declaring her the face of the women's division.

Martinez will serve as the COO, while Hogan will be its commissioner; it's unclear what Bischoff's role is at this time though Hogan said he would be working on the production side. The league will hold its first show on August 30, in Cleveland, Ohio, with more events scheduled to be announced at a later date.

Arn Anderson On Triple H Mentioning Him In WWE Hall Of Fame Speech

On the latest episode of The ARN Show, Arn Anderson talked about Triple H mentioning him in his WWE Hall of Fame speech and more. You can check out some highlights below:

Arn Anderson on Triple H mentioning him in his WWE Hall of Fame speech: “Well when he first started, he came to WCW and Ric knew him through Gold’s Gym up north when Ric owned his Gold’s Gym. So that’s how he met him, and he was training to be a wrestler and just a gentleman. Perfect gentlement from the first time you meet him, just really a quality guy. And we took him under our wing, let him travel with us, and figured out pretty quick he’s a non-drinker, so he was the designated driver. Yes, that is absolutely correct. We were renting Cadillacs back then, so I’m sure that was okay with him.

“And for him to mention me in his Hall of Fame speech was very generous. Very nice things to say. And you know, his speech was long, but when you had the kind of career he’s had, that really doesn’t seem like a long time to recap all the things he’s done for the business. And I think we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

On Triple H as a person and professional: “Yeah, just the way he handles his business and the way he wants to learn every single thing he can from everybody that he talks to that he can learn from. So he’s dedicated to being smart and business-like. And besides his ability to work and the fact that he looked like a million dollars too, he’s the whole entire package. He’s a smart, well spoken — you name it, he’s got no flaws…

“He knows his business like — like you said, he’s always looked like a million dollars. He’s learned the business side of it. He’s a great worker. Everybody that works with him is better the next morning for having worked with him. He’s — no holes, no flaws, nothing missing. He’s the guy to have as a figurehead of your company, that’s for sure.”

credit The ARN Show 411mania.com

WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium Shatters All-Time Gate, Viewership, Merchandise, Sponsorship & Social Records

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, today announced that WrestleMania 41, which emanated from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, became the most-successful and highest-grossing event in company history.

Highlights include:

GATE: WrestleMania 41 generated the largest gate for any event in WWE history. The Premium Live Event drew 124,693 fans across two nights at Allegiant Stadium.

VIEWERSHIP: WrestleMania 41 was the most-viewed WrestleMania of all time, up 114 percent from the record set last year at WrestleMania XL.

MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales onsite were up more than 45 percent versus the previous all-time event record set by WrestleMania XL in 2024, making WrestleMania 41 the highest-grossing event of all-time. Additionally, ecommerce sales were up 86 percent versus last year’s record.

SPONSORSHIP: WrestleMania 41 featured a record 28 total partners and set an all-time event record for revenue.

ON LOCATION: On Location, the exclusive hospitality experiences partner for WWE, saw a 75 percent increase in hospitality sales and packages.

WWE WORLD: WWE World at WrestleMania 41, the five-day interactive fan experience in partnership with Fanatics Events, became the most-attended WWE fan convention of all time with more than 50,000 attendees – a 21 percent increase over last year’s event surrounding WrestleMania XL.

SOCIAL: WrestleMania 41 became the most socially viewed WWE event of all-time, generating 1.1 billion social views throughout the weekend. Additionally, WWE's YouTube channel saw its most-viewed day ever on WrestleMania Sunday.

The record-breaking event was highlighted by John Cena defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, Seth Rollins winning the Triple Threat Match featuring Roman Reigns and CM Punk, IYO SKY retaining the Women’s World Championship, the return of Becky Lynch and more.

WWE Gives First-Ever Look Into Writers’ Room and ‘Calculated’ Process in Netflix Doc: ‘We’re Gonna Lift the Curtain’

Netflix is pulling back the curtain on the WWE.

“WWE: Unreal,” a new docuseries set to debut this summer, will give viewers an exclusive, closer look at the organization. Produced by Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports and WWE, the series will consist of 10 episodes, each 50 minutes long.

Here is the official logline: “For the first time ever, step into the WWE writer’s room and outside the ring with your favorite WWE Superstars, where the drama is just as intense offstage as it is under the spotlight.”

WWE commentator Michael Cole first teased the doc on Sunday during the second night of WrestleMania. A premiere date has not yet been announced.

Chris Weaver directs and Erik Powers serves as showrunner. Executive producers include Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser and Marc Pomarico.

Netflix obtained WWE’s “Raw” at the top of 2025 for a massive $5 billion ($500 million per year for 10 years), beginning their cohesive relationship. Since the inception of “Raw” in 1993, it has lived on linear television, airing on USA or briefly, Spike TV. The first episode of “Raw” on Netflix, which debuted in January, pulled in 4.9 million views globally.

Netflix not only became the exclusive home of “Raw” in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Latin America and other territories, it also became the home for all WWE shows — including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble — outside the U.S.

source: variety.com

Triple H: Chyna Is Definitely Going Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

Chyna is in the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X, but her contributions to wrestling went beyond the group as she is a former WWE Women's Champion and WWE Intercontinental Champion, breaking barriers by regularly wrestling men during the Attitude Era.

At the WrestleMania 41 press conference, Bill Apter of Sportskeeda asked Triple H if Chyna could possibly go into the WWE Hall of Fame as early as next year.

"I don’t know about next year, but it’s definitely happening. There are a lot people, when you say ‘Hall of Fame,’ there are a lot of people that should be in the Hall of Fame and will be in the Hall of Fame. You just can’t put them all in at once. As far as Chyna, her contributions to the business alone. I can see it in all these women when they get in there. We’re at the age, unfortunately, where they all grew up idolizing her. I see it in their work, their gear, in what they think works and doesn’t. It all stems from that. She is in the Hall of Fame with DX, but she will be in the Hall of Fame by herself when the time is right, for sure," he said.

Sadly, Chyna passed away in 2016.

WWE Announces Acquisition Of Lucha Libre AAA, Worlds Collide Show Set For June

WWE has announced a shocking acquisition as they have purchased a major promotion in Mexico.

Earlier today, WrestleVotes announced that WWE was set to announce a NXT Worlds Collide premium live event in association with the Mexico promotion, Lucha Libre AAA.

On the WrestleMania 41 Kickoff Show, Michael Cole invited WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque and all of the Mexican and Latin American stars on the roster to the stage.

Cole then announced that WWE had officially purchased Lucha Libre AAA and the company will present a Worlds Collide premium live event on Saturday, June 7 from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California.

After Cole's announcement, Triple H stated that WWE will take Lucha Libre to the another level with this acquisition.

Joining Triple H on stage was Marisela Pena & Dorian Roldan and several luchadors from the WWE roster including Rey Mysterio, Stephanie Vaquer, Rey Fenix, Penta, Andrade, Vikingo, Santos Escobar, and more.

This is an unprecedented announcement for the company as it has been several years since WWE officially purchased another promotion outright.

Several Mexican talent will be in action on this weekend's WrestleMania 41 event, including Penta who will challenge Bron Breakker in a Fatal Four-Way Match for the Intercontinental Championship with Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio.

source: si.com

Triple H Opens Up About Tensions With Vince McMahon During Creative Transition

Triple H has opened up about the ups and downs of working under Vince McMahon during his time rising through the ranks in WWE, revealing moments of personal frustration with the WWE Chairman's leadership style and creative approach.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, the WWE Chief Content Officer looked back on his journey from wrestler to executive, acknowledging the major influence McMahon had on his path. Triple H made it clear that despite any personal differences, he would not be where he is today without McMahon’s guidance.

“I got involved in creative early on,” he recalled, stressing how much of a mentor McMahon was in those earlier stages of his behind-the-scenes career. However, as he transitioned from performer to a creative figure, their differences in philosophy became increasingly clear.

“From when you learn, especially from mentors, you learn what to do and what not to do,” Triple H explained. “There were things that bothered me about the way he did things. Certain things with his personality. He would run things totally different than I would, and we’ve talked about that before. Even when I was running NXT he would be like, ‘Why do you do it like that?’ I’d be like ‘Because it’s working for me.’”

The tension between their methods became more apparent over time, especially as McMahon took a more hands-on approach to controlling WWE’s creative direction. Triple H recalled one particular shift that came as a shock—when performers, including himself and Shawn Michaels, were suddenly handed scripts for their promos after years of creative freedom.

“He was much more controlling, especially as he got older,” he said. “When I first came in, when we started DX, it was funny, we were just doing our own thing. Nobody was scripting anything, we were doing our own thing. Most times we were coming back and he was mad at us and screaming at us, ‘You’re gonna get us thrown off the air, God damn it, don’t do that again.’ We were just like, ‘Whatever,’ and we’d go do it again the following week.”

According to Triple H, this freewheeling, rebellious approach began to pay off in terms of ratings and business. But soon, the creative environment changed dramatically.

“Now all of a sudden we show up to TV one week and they hand us a script, ‘What is this?’ ‘It’s what Vince wants you to say tonight.’ ‘What? He doesn’t tell us what to say.’ Well now he wants to start. We’d go into his office, ‘What is this?’ ‘It’s a script. It’s what I want you to say.’ ‘This is terrible. It’s not funny. It’s not us.’”

Triple H then shared how Shawn Michaels, frustrated by the direction, stood his ground.

“We’re sitting in the meeting, we read it a couple of times, we had the argument with him and he said, ‘That’s what I want you guys to do. Just go do it.’ Shawn crumpled up the piece of paper and said, ‘I ain’t saying any of this sh*t.’ He threw it at Vince and we walked out of the office. I was like, Wow, we’re getting fired.”

While those tensions flared, Triple H recognized that McMahon’s controlling nature stemmed from a desire to protect and shape his product. There were moments where even McMahon’s most trusted lieutenants questioned the direction.

“We would all talk about it and would all be like it would be better if we did this. Even Pat Patterson would come to me, ‘Vince wants to do this thing and it’s so stupid. Let’s do this instead. It would be better, we should talk him into this…’ I’m like, ‘Pat, I talked to him until I was blue in the face. You go talk to him.’”

Despite the creative friction, Triple H emphasized that McMahon did some things exceptionally well, particularly in dealing with talent. Even now, as he oversees WWE’s creative direction following the Endeavor takeover and McMahon’s resignation in early 2024, Triple H acknowledges the legacy left behind.

“I would see how he dealt with talents and there are some things he would do way better than I do and some ways he handled talent where I think I wish I could handle talent that way but it’s not just how I am.”

Bret Hart & Stone Cold Steve Austin to receive inaugural WWE Immortal Moment Award at the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame

WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will receive the inaugural “WWE Immortal Moment” award in-person at the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday, April 18th at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

The first-of-its-kind recognition pays homage to their seminal moment at WrestleMania® 13 in 1997 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, where Austin became an unlikely hero thanks to a gutsy, albeit losing, effort against Hart in a “Submission Match” that featured Ken Shamrock as a special guest referee.

Leveraging Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art, 90,000 square-foot BleauLive Theater, the 2025 Hall of Fame Ceremony will give the WWE Universe an unforgettable experience, headlined by 2025 WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, Michelle McCool, Lex Luger, Typhoon and Earthquake of The Natural Disasters, and other inductees to be announced in the coming weeks.