How is TKO ruining WWE?

Summary

• TKO owns Combat Sports companies like WWE and UFC
• R-Truth's release and recall, along with Roman Reigns' contract saga might have TKO's invovement
• WrestleMania will be run back in Las Vegas in 2026

TKO, the organisation that owns some of the top combat sports companies, such as UFC and WWE, has been heavily accused of destroying them in recent times. In particular, some of the recent developments have led to the anger of the fans, which has led to dissent against the organisation. Some of these moves might have justified the fans being angry at TKO inserting themselves into something they might not be aware of.

Ever since the start of 2025, when the WWE was in a partnership with Netflix, a lot of things have changed, which has not gone well with the fans. Post WrestleMania, the dissent for the board has been at its highest, given their actions. Their meddling in the business might hamper WWE in the long term, given that loyal fans are turning their back on the product.

Also Read: Top 5 biggest what-ifs in WWE history

Here are some of the moves that have led fans to claim TKO is destroying WWE

Commercialization of WWE

The first thing that visibly changed at the start of WWE was the number of promotional materials. The ringside and the ring were boarded with a lot of sponsors like Slim Jam, Prime, and other products that definitely help WWE's promotion. However, it seems as if the current WWE ring is filled with all these logos that make the viewing experience awkward.

In fact, at Money in the Bank, one could observe that tables and ladders were filled with promotional materials. It clearly depicted the motive of TKO, to do business and promote the brands, rather than make the wrestling experience cool for the fans. Somewhere, such moves would have annoyed the fans who have been watching the product for a long time.

High ticket prices 

WWE has been selling out arenas in Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and major PLEs, so there has not been a lot of discussion about the commercialisation. However, compared to the past, the current shows have very high ticket prices, which are hard to afford for the fans. Even weekly shows have tickets priced in the thousands of dollars for a basic seat.

While the fans are still attending the shows by selling them out without complaining a lot, if the product continues not to appeal to the fans, the company might soon witness a decline in the number of fans attending the shows. In the European Tour in the lead-up to WrestleMania 41, the tickets were way too high to make the most of the foreign fans.

Also Check: Money in the Bank: WWE Women's MITB Winners List

Inserting The Rock into incomplete storylines

The Rock made three to four special appearances in 2025 before disappearing from the scene. He oversaw the Tribal Combat between Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns on WWE Raw's Netflix Premiere. In the show, he also apparently ended his hatred for Cody Rhodes by acknowledging his contribution to WWE. He also showed up on WWE NXT's Netflix premiere and addressed the hatred for the same.

On SmackDown a month later, The Rock returned and asked Cody for his soul. As the American Nightmare rejected his offer at the Elimination Chamber, he joined forces with John Cena. The story between Cena, Cody, and The Final Boss ended there, as he has not shown up to any show since then, making a potentially highly compelling story incomplete. TKO would've had a hand in inserting The Rock into all of this to have global appeal.

Running back WrestleMania in Las Vegas

One of the things The Rock confirmed in one of his four appearances in 2025 was New Orleans being chosen as the WrestleMania 42 host. While the city had hosted the show of all shows many times in this century, fans were still happy with the choice. What followed was something that has not gone well with the fans from different parts of the world.

The location has been changed from New Orleans to Las Vegas, the same Allegiant Stadium that hosted WrestleMania 41 a couple of months ago. It has led to widespread criticism from the fans, as it is an era in which every city deserves to host the big event. Fans wished to see a different city hosting the show rather than running the show again in the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the world.

Talent exits with budget cuts

Talent exits and budget cuts happen every year, as it is an inevitable process. However, in 2025, the wrestlers who exited were not chosen wisely. Braun Strowman was a big name who got released amidst good stories for him. But the biggest shock was R-Truth getting released, which led to extreme criticism and protests from the fans in the form of the "We Want Truth" movement.

Many believed it was a work until Ron Killings confirmed it wasn't. Due to heavy pressure from the fans, WWE had to change its decision and bring back the star wrestler. When asked about the move, Triple H claimed it was work, which did not line up with R Truth's take. Clearly, TKO had its take on the decision and did not want to offer an explanation for the same.

Roman Reigns' Contract

This could be the biggest botch-up of TKO if they indeed pull it off. As per the reports, TKO wants to cut Roman Reigns' salary due to his having a part-time schedule. Roman is the biggest wrestling star, and paving the way for his release could be a huge dent for the business. As per reports, Roman's contract will expire soon, and TKO wants to cut his salary down to around $10-15 million.

While Roman is definitely a part-timer and offers a lower number of dates for his work, he still makes more money than any current wrestler could. If TKO and Roman could not come to a negotiation, it could lead to the OTC well making its way away from the company. It could potentially take WWE back to the 2002-03 period, where they lost Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and other stars.