The company is collaborating with accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY) to ensure that results of the matches cannot be prematurely leaked to the public. All WWE results are determined beforehand, meaning that the matches are effectively uncompetitive despite being branded as professional wrestling.
WWE is also currently for sale, making this scenario all the more interesting and potentially alluring to interested buyers.
WWE is known for fighters delivering high-flying hits, bone-crunching kicks, and the most unbelievable behind-the-scenes drama in televised sports. Viewership, however, had been on the decline until a January 23 and 30th-anniversary edition of Monday Night Raw produced the most engagement in the past couple of years.
The company’s new accounting partner will be able to determine if and how the company can seal the outcomes of events like Monday Night Raw and other events on the WWE calendar. EY has worked with the Academy Awards and Emmys, two other television events with major betting markets, to ensure that the winners of different awards are kept under lock and key.
WWE is using the Academy Awards and Emmys to persuade regulators that betting on scripted results is not only practical but already in action. Strip away the blood, sweat, and tears of professional wrestling, and the fight script is just words on paper with match winners, much as award show hosts read the names of winners off of cards.
On the other hand, the results and drama of award shows aren’t the brainchildren of paid writers or directors—although, even WWE’s creative team would have been taken aback by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on The Oscars stage last year.
Unfortunately for the wrestling company, the Colorado Division of Gaming already has a statute prohibiting betting on events with fixed results such as the Academy Awards. A spokesperson also revealed that it is not imagining a reality in which that changes.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board publishes a catalog that includes what sports events can be bet on every year. Updates to those regulations are announced through operators and the board’s website.
The way the WWE scripts its match results could be altered if the regulators in Michigan, Colorado, or other states acquiesce to allow betting on bouts. Fight results could have to be turned in months in advance, which would force the company to miss out on reactions to recent developments or trends when writing its script.
If that were to happen, fighters, producers, and other WWE members would not become privy to the match results until shortly before the fight. That would ensure that there were no leaks that could be harmful to sportsbooks and lead to punishment for the conspirators.
There could also be a domino effect if state authorities legalize betting on WWE matches. Other scripted results, such as outcomes in television shows, could become legal betting markets. All a part of the merger between gambling and entertainment.
Executive chairman Vince McMahon recently returned to the company after leaving in 2022 amid sexual assault allegations. Wrestler Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, took charge around that time and still leads the company’s creative direction. McMahon’s primary job is to prepare the company for its eventual sale.
WWE will meet with potential buyers over the next month in preparation for first-round bids. According to reports, several top candidates would be interested in retaining Triple H should a buyout, which is not guaranteed, go through.
36 states plus Washington D.C. have legal sports betting markets and would theoretically be able to offer WWE betting lines if rules were changed.
Grant is a sports and sports betting journalist who prides himself in his up-to-the-minute reporting on the latest events in the industry. A member of Virginia Tech’s 2021 graduating class, he has quickly put together an impressive portfolio since moving to the professional world full-time. Grant’s favorite sports to cover are basketball and both types of football (American and soccer), and he is pushing written, audio, and video content. He has been employed by companies as highly regarded as Forbes and continues on a great trajectory in the industry. When he’s not on the clock, you can find Grant at the gym, looking for adventures, or hanging out with his family.
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