WWE may repeatedly deny that it views UFC as competition, but in a Barron’s story related to Linda McMahon’s Senate campaign and WWE’s financial performance, the outlet suggests the opposite.
Painting a negative picture about WWE’s financial success, the article says WWE’s “stats don’t look so buff.” It adds, “Pay-per-view buys, TV ratings, magazine sales and Website visits have been in decline for three years, as many fans turn to mixed martial- arts contests like the Ultimate Fighting Championship.”
Then, in a very interesting quote given the UFC fighter’s connection to WWE, the story cracks, “The UFC’s champions like Brock Lesnar are essentially kicking the butts of WWE superstars like John Cena.”
The article, which concludes that WWE stock is likely overpriced since “World Wrestling is struggling to remain relevant as mixed martial arts surges,” also features a graphical breakdown of WWE’s declining television ratings, as well as evidence that UFC is eclipsing WWE in the pay-per-view category.
Since 2007, WWE has only outperformed UFC on pay-per-view in Q2 2007, Q1 2008, Q2 2009 and Q1 2010 (as in, the quarters with WrestleMania), and it appears from the data that Barron’s might not be controlling specifically for domestic buys, which tend to bring far more profit to the promoter.
