Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White caused quite a stir when he took to social media to declare that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is “fake shit” that should cost just $9.99 to buy on pay-per-view (PPV).
No one, not even former UFC Heavyweight champion and current WWE star, Brock Lesnar, is about to debate whether or not professional wresting is staged and rehearsed. In fact, Lesnar — who was a guest on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” this morning to promote his upcoming showdown with “The Undertaker” at SummerSlam 2015 this Sunday evening — said it flat out.
And then some.
“Of course, Dana, [WWE] is fake — we all know that. But, you are promoting the same thing we are promoting. Dana White is promoting fights, we’re promoting fights. It just so happens we get a little more longevity out of our fights and out of our fighters because of the circumstances. It is a staged arena — everybody knows that — but, if you can’t turn on WWE on Monday nights, get something out of that show and be entertained, then something is wrong with you.”
It’s no secret that WWE is big business. And Vince McMahon has been the brains — and brawn — behind its continued success. White has often praised McMahon for his business savvy and may have even modeled his promotional approach from his WWE successes, as well as the failures of another combat sport, boxing.
And while UFC and WWE have partnered on certain issues — like Ronda Rousey’s one-off appearance at WrestleMania 31 — the two franchises have also clashed, like when McMahon wanted to fight White inside the Octagon (for real) back in 2013.
It’s a peculiar business relationship, one that Lesnar suggests might be a bit lopsided.
“Dana, probably in his defense, is promoting fighting, but it’s the same thing — he’s trying to sell pay-per-view (PPVs) and money fights. It’s the same racket. [UFC] is not rehearsed, absolutely, but the business model is the same — it’s identical. I think Vince McMahon is better at it than Dana and it might rub Dana the wrong way. Vince is the pioneer, he’s been doing this his whole life, and he’s damn good at it.”
With UFC Fight Night 74 going head-to-head with SummerSlam 2015 this Sunday, it’s a foregone conclusion that WWE will eat UFC’s lunch in the ratings — and the earnings — once the dust settles.
Even if it’s not apples-to-apples, it’s still as real as it gets … business-wise.
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