Stephanie McMahon Hints At WWE Getting Into Boxing Business

Professional wrestling isn't just a performance art or a sport, but it's also a business.

Accordingly, the major companies strive to obtain steady growth of their programming, on and off-screen services, and of course, revenue. One strategy to achieve such growth is through a tuck-in acquisition — typically when a large enterprise merges with or absorbs a smaller business. A prominent example of this occurred earlier this year when AEW President Tony Khan obtained ownership of Ring of Honor. On a smaller scale, World Wrestling Entertainment's relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling which resulted in OVW becoming the developmental territory for WWE for some time was also similar.

WWE Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon recently expressed interest in accruing more tuck-in acquisitions for the company. In an appearance at Wells Fargo 2022 TMT Summit, McMahon specified that any potential acquisition has "to align with our capabilities." Though mentioning the idea of obtaining smaller wrestling promotions, whether domestically or internationally, McMahon brought up another possible route for WWE to go: boxing.

In either scenario, the Co-CEO emphasized the importance of understanding who the existing players are in each business. "Who's the lineal champion? Who's the WBC champion? Who's the this — it's kind of it's all over the place," she explained. Stephanie continued, referencing her father Vince McMahon's prior prosperous ventures 40 years ago. "My father, Vince McMahon, who was the Chairman and CEO, obviously had the opportunity to roll up all of those different territories and create one major brand in WWE that is now gone from a regional territorial, content play to a global media franchise."

Stephanie said she hopes to "replicate" that same success "in other areas, with boxing being an idea of one of them." McMahon's great-grandfather Roderick James "Jess" McMahon promoted boxing along with concerts and wrestling, before her grandfather, Vince McMahon Sr., centered the family business on professional wrestling following World War II.