The rumors of Vince McMahon selling the WWE refuse to die, and the latest round comes curtesy of former WWE ref Mike Chioda on Such Good Shoots podcast where he said he heard the WWE is selling to Disney.
While rumors of the WWE selling aren’t new due to their recent cost cutting and rebranding of NXT, many expected them to sell to NBC since the WWE Network moved to NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
And if the rumors Mike Chioda heard are true, we’re curious how that would work out with the WWE’s current deal with Peacock being for five years.
Is it possible? Sure, but it’d be interesting to see how they work through the various television and streaming contracts.
What he heard
Mike Chioda worked with the WWE for three decades and was their longest tenured referee at the time of his release in April 2020, so he has plenty of connections in the company but this is still just a rumor.
So when he appeared on Such Good Shoots he talked about the rumor about Disney buying the WWE and the recent releases. He even told us about his dealings in the WWE and release.
Special thanks to @wrestling_mpw for the transcript.
“Bray Wyatt, I don’t get it. I just don’t. I’m hearing rumours they [WWE] may sell to Disney. So, you know, they sell to Disney and stuff like that man. Could be a lot of money. And they’re just trying to cut their roster.”
The WWE’s cost cutting has been the driving force behind the rumors that they’re for sale, and we doubt they’ll cease until a sale happens or doesn’t happen for a few years.
On contract negotiations
There have been some fun rumors and talks about talent and others dealing with the WWE.
Chioda talked about his and Rey Mysterio’s recent effort during the pandemic, the later being when the WWE made a reported $120+ million thanks to their TV contracts.
“My buddy, Rey Mysterio just stayed at my house last week when they were in Tampa. You know, he went into negotiations with Vince… his stuff almost didn’t work out with Vince. He didn’t want to deal with Hunter, he wanted to deal with Vince. I mean it’s like me, Hunter told me ‘Hey, I want to see you go out strong in your career’ a couple years ago, and I even moved to Tampa for better living, better beaches. And plus, you know, if I have to, I’d start working with the PC in Orlando. Then I had surgery on my shoulder, rotator cuff and to fix bicep tears. And then I get f****** released during a pandemic.”
Not quite the strong ending Hunter envisioned for him, but Chioda rebounded and became a referee in AEW.
We’re curious how this rumor of WWE selling to Disney will pan out, but we’re pretty sure we’re going to want to have some popcorn handy.
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