RUMOUR: WWE Negotiating To Be Sold To ESPN And/Or Fox

It was reported last week that Vince McMahon had gone into “F*** it” mode. What that means in the long term is still unclear but now a very interesting rumour has come out. Dutch Mantell (A.K.A. Zeb Colter) has posted a tweet saying he heard out of WWE that a deal is being negotiated to sell the company and the WWE Network to ESPN and Fox.

Now, until this is reported as fact by someone with a little more certainty, this should be regarded as a rumour. That being said, if true, this would change the landscape of pro wrestling.

HUGE NEWS: Any truth to this. Overheard directly out of @WWE Stamford is that a deal is being negotiated to sell WWE & the network to @ESPN and @FOX by as early as Mid May. @mattkoonmusic

— 𝔻𝕣. 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕙 (@DirtyDMantell) April 28, 2020

It is unclear how the company would be sold to ESPN and Fox as the two are separate. SmackDown is currently airing on Fox so there is that connection and ESPN had interest in securing one of Raw or SmackDown when the new television contracts were negotiated in 2018. Considering Raw is still set to be on the USA Network, there are definitely a lot of questions that would need answering if this happened.

Vince McMahon has also reportedly been in a very bad mood as of late. The combination of the XFL folding, WrestleMania not going as planned, and the general pandemic, has led to a very cranky Vince. Whether he takes that a massive step further, remains to be seen.

Dutch Mantell has worked in pro wrestling since 1972 in many different roles. Most current fans would likely best remember him as Zeb Colter, Jack Swagger’s racially charged manager in 2013.

What do you think of this rumour? Let us know on Twitter!

• dutch mantell
• espn
• fox
• wwe

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