JBL Reflects on WWE’s Corporate Shift and Crossover Audience with UFC Under TKO – On a recent episode of Something to Wrestle With, WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL) offered candid insight into how WWE has changed since the company merged with UFC under the TKO Group Holdings banner. Echoing sentiments shared by Karl Anderson, JBL described today’s WWE as a “completely different” entity from the one he knew during his in-ring career.
“I completely agree. Yeah, I completely agree,” JBL said, referring to Anderson’s remarks about WWE being “TKO” now. “I go back, and it’s completely different… And I feel the same way that, you know, guys would come in to WWE when I was there and it got hot with Steve and Rock, and they’d say the same thing that I’m saying now, ‘This isn’t wrestling, this is completely different’… It’s different. It’s completely different. I go back now, it’s a complete different company. Hardly anybody there. It’s very corporate, but they’re printing money. I’d take it every day of the week.”
JBL’s comments reflect a growing sentiment among some veterans that WWE’s evolution has distanced it from traditional wrestling roots, especially now with the heavy influence of Endeavor’s corporate structure.
Turning to the crossover potential between WWE and UFC — now operating under the same parent company — JBL expressed skepticism about the overlap in fanbases.
“I’d be interested to see how many crossover fans you actually have… I think both companies, internally, don’t think it’s as big a crossover… When we had the Monday Night Wars… we realized that it was actually two separate audiences that were watching, which is hard to believe… They think the same thing right now is that it’s almost two separate audiences with UFC and WWE.”
While TKO continues to explore business synergies between its two massive combat sports brands, JBL’s perspective suggests that a natural blend of audiences may not be as significant as once hoped. For WWE’s longtime stars, the product’s shift toward a corporate powerhouse may feel jarring, but as JBL noted, “they’re printing money,” and that bottom line remains the key driver in this new era.
JBL Reflects on WWE’s Corporate Shift and Crossover Audience with UFC Under TKO
