Nick Khan says WWE took a page out of UFC’s book when it came to a new revenue stream.
Puck News’ John Ourand released a new feature about TKO’s success in securing site fees for its UFC and WWE events. The feature largely focuses on UFC, but it also features a quote from WWE President Nick Khan, who shared when WWE first decided to enter the “subsidy business.”
According to Khan, he realized WWE was not fully capitalizing on revenue opportunities when he learned that Salt Lake City was paying TKO nearly $3 million to host an event.
“I looked at our current WrestleMania deal, and we were getting around $150,000 for WrestleMania, and what I call ‘posters around the city’—otherwise known as value-in-kind,” Khan said. “So we got an economic impact report, and got into the subsidy business.”
WWE got a combined $9.2 million in fees and credits for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. The company also got $7.1 million for SummerSlam in New Jersey. While unconfirmed, it’s also rumored that WWE/TKO will receive anywhere from $100 to 250 million from Saudi Arabia for bringing WrestleMania 43 to the country in 2027.
Khan recently announced that WWE will also host an unnamed Premium Live Event in Italy in 2026. To the contrary, it has been reported that the city of Boston lost out on the right to host John Cena’s retirement match because of financial reasons. It is believed that an event during the holiday season wouldn’t generate the level of tourism needed to justify the cost.
Read More: WWE Still Has ‘Work To Do’ On Maxing Ticket Revenue Opportunities, Says TKO Exec
