Vince McMahon never planned on giving up WWE.
On September 12, the merger between WWE and UFC was made official as the companies formed TKO. Vince McMahon returned to the WWE board of directors in January, after retiring in July 2022, with plans to potentially sell the company. A deal was struck with Endeavor in April to merge with UFC.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience, Kurt Angle recalled a conversation he had with Vince McMahon when he returned to WWE in 2017.
"I love the guy. He's always treated me right. I never had a problem with Vince. I'm glad he got the money he got. I never thought he would sell the company. I thought you would have to pry it from his cold dead hands. I thought he would keep the company forever. He put his heart and soul into it. No one works harder than he does. He's a machine. You know what he told me when I came back to WWE? He said, 'I'm going to have this company for a lot longer than you think, Mr. Angle. I'm 73 right now. My mom lived to be 101. I plan on living until I'm 120. I'm never letting the company go. I'm always going to work here. They're going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands.' That's what keeps him going. That's why I'm a little, not nervous, but what's he going to do now? His life is wrestling," recalled Angle.
Elsewhere during the interview, Angle revealed that it was in WWE and UFC contracts that there could be no crossover between the two companies. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
Learn more about the WWE and UFC merger by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
