PWInsider is now reporting that Friday’s WWE layoffs have concluded, with Dana Warrior along with more than 100 employees fired. None of the layoffs were talent and talent releases were never scheduled for Friday. Breaking down the firings in totality, PWInsider reports that WWE’s Insights & Analytics team was cut from at least 20 employees down to three, and that the Marketing, Graphic Design and Live Events department was also impacted. In an email, WWE President Nick Khan reportedly informed employees based out of Stamford, Connecticut, that there would be a staff meeting at the new WWE headquarters Tuesday morning, and confirmed the conclusion of the layoffs. 

More layoffs have been announced following WWE’s merger with UFC after Endeavor’s acquisition of the company, resulting in the creation of TKO Group Holdings. According to PWInsider, one of the more surprising layoffs included Dana Warrior, the wife of late WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior. She worked in creative from 2019 to 2022, and more recently was working with the company’s community outreach department.

PWInsider reported Friday’s layoffs included WWE’s Digital Campaign Manager, Alexa Gotthardt, who announced her departure on LinkedIn, and several members of the company’s marketing department, with Brand Director Kimberly Kirkegard and Affiliate Marketing Manager Saverio Brighina both gone. A higher-ranked official — Andy Levine, WWE Vice President, International and Platform Strategy — was also let go. Levine worked for the company since 2018 and wore multiple hats within WWE, including overseeing international social and digital strategy and working alongside other departments like marketing, programming, content operations, business planning, and many more. Other layoffs on Friday included WWE’s Executive Vice President of Development and Digital Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing Catherine Newman, and Director of Enterprise Master Data & Governance Amanda Bloom.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

As noted, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide memo asking corporate employees to work remotely on Friday due to “workforce reductions.” This comes in the wake of Endeavor officially merging WWE and UFC to form TKO earlier this week.

Dave Meltzer noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is looking to cut $50 million to $100 million in costs in WWE to increase profitability. UFC went through extensive layoffs in 2016 when Endeavor acquired the company, and it’s expected that WWE will suffer the same fate. It was also noted that Emanuel previously stated that there would be no underestimating TV rights and sponsorship potential.

While WWE’s on-screen product may not look much different in the near future, it’s the behind-the-scenes that will see potentially massive changes. There’s a thought that WWE creative and talent would go unaffected, but Meltzer reminded readers that UFC employees were also told things that didn’t turn out to be true. It’s currently being labeled a “wait-and-see” situation.

PWInsider has already reported the releases of Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Digital, and Catherine Newman, Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing. Haus of Wrestling reported on Thursday that talent releases from both the main roster and “WWE NXT” are expected at some point, but it was not clear whether those would also happen this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

On Tuesday, Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group acquired WWE and merged it with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. The two companies will operate as separate entities.

WWE CFO and President Frank Riddick III will be ending his tenure with the company at the end of this month. This comes after he received a $5 million bonus from the sale.

Additionally, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide email to employees on Thursday (see below) to inform them that they should work remotely on Friday so WWE’s HR team can perform “workforce reductions” in private. Employees will be notified of their terminations as the decisions are made throughout the course of the day.

According to a report from Nick Hausman, it has been confirmed that major layoffs will be taking place at the Stamford, CT headquarters later today. Additionally, it was noted that “major cuts” are also expected to be taking place on the WWE main roster and the NXT brand. It remains to be seen whether the talent cuts take place today (Friday) or in the coming weeks. We know for sure the office cuts are coming today.

As you’d expect, the reason for possibly splitting up the timeframe between the office and talent cuts is due to the bad PR that always comes with massive layoffs. Usually, the office cuts take place first. But it’s possible both could end up happening today. We’ll see.

Nick Khan sent a email to WWE employees on Thursday, you can read that below:

“As part of WWE’s transition into the newly formed TKO Group Holdings, we are evaluating our existing operations and systems to identify potential synergies across the business. This effort includes workforce reductions, which will take place tomorrow.

Those whose roles have been impacted will be notified by our Human Resources Team, who will share the details of their severance package. We are asking that everyone work remotely, Friday September 15th, so we can insure all conversations are handled privately and respectfully. We’ll send out a company-wide email once all of tomorrow’s conversations have happened.

Our company is home to the most talented, creative, and hard-working employees in the world. WWE is a special place, which makes moments like this difficult. Just know that we have nothing but gratitude and admiration for everyone we have had the privilege to work alongside.

Thank you for all your contributions and dedication.

Nick Khan”

Source: eWn