Endeavor’s Mark Shapiro Weighs In On Potential Sponsorship Apparel Deals In WWE

Endeavor expects to close on its purchase of WWE before the end of the year, and Mark Shapiro recently weighed in on WWE possibly utilizing sponsorship apparel deals like UFC does. The UFC has signed several deals with companies that sees sponsorships put on fighter apparel, the mat and more, and Shapiro was asked on the Sports Media podcast whether WWE might do the same.

“We haven’t finished this transaction, we’re still running through this process, we’re not making any decisions,” Shapiro said (per Fightful). “We’re not in control, so I’m not going to forecast what we may or may not do. I’ll speak to you from a point of view of why we thought it was so attractive.”

He continued, “Yes, all of those are opportunities. You want to be authentic, seamless, organic, and true to your audience. We’re not going to put a brand on somebody’s robe walking to the ring. Do UFC fighters wear Venom apparel and Project Rock shoes? Yes, they do. Could WWE benefit from an apparel deal as such, a shoe deal as such? Absolutely. We’re not going to over-commercialize it. We’re not going to saturate it to the point that we cheap it out and trick it out, and you turn off the fanbase. You have to figure out what’s right in the ring, in the Octagon, what’s right in the arena, indoor and outdoor. What’s right with the fighters and the participants, and you have to walk before you run.”

When the deal closes, WWE and the UFC will be merged into a publicly traded company that will be named TKO Group.