If you noticed that night 2 of the event ended a bit sooner than night 1, it’s because one WrestleMania match was cut short. Plus, all the talk of who might buy the company can finally end, as WWE has been bought by Endeavor.
WrestleMania Match Cut Short
The Showcase of the Immortals wrapped up Sunday, but the run time of the second night was a bit less than expected. Per a report, at least one WrestleMania match was cut short.
According to the Wrestling Observer, the Hell In A Cell match between Edge and Finn Balor ended much sooner than expected.
The run time was cut down on the fly, a result of unexpected bleeding from Balor.
You may recall, after Edge heaved a ladder at the Demon’s face, that Balor was down and medical staff came into the cell.
Though it was initially hard to tell due to the face paint, Balor was busted open the hard way. The bleeding concerned the official, leading to the brief medical stoppage.
Finn Bálor got injected with a numbing agent & got staples at ringside.
Respect to him for continuing in the match. Warrior. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/OWvxvT60H7
— Pro Wrestling Finesse (@ProWFinesse) April 3, 2023
The match eventually resumed, and you could spot some of Balor’s blood on the mat.
source: @skwrestling_, twitter, screenshot
While medical staff allowed the match to go on, it wrapped up a lot sooner than planned, due to the wound.
Per the report, this premature end is the reason behind the unusually long gap between the cell match and the main event.
Watching it live, I felt almost as if the finish for Edge came a bit out of the blue. I definitely noticed way more pointless advertising between matches.
Hopefully Finn is OK. This is why you don’t use your face to stop a flying ladder.
WWE Bought By Endeavor
Word of this broke on Sunday, but was at the time just really likely rumors. Now it is official: WWE has been bought by Endeavor.
For anyone who does not know the name right away, Endeavor is the parent company of UFC.
Today, @Endeavor announced it has signed an agreement to form a $21+ billion global live sports and entertainment company made up of @UFC and @WWE. https://t.co/lPrkBmKJXm pic.twitter.com/ZBk95c5exU
— Endeavor (@Endeavor) April 3, 2023
Considering that months ago, a rumor emerged that a sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was “a done deal”, then this actual news is likely a big positive.
Some have come out to say that Endeavor pairing UFC and WWE together in a brand new combat sports and entertainment company is perhaps the best possible outcome.
The union makes a ton of sense. Though to be fair, so did a number of other WWE suitors, given other relationships.
Fans may not be happy, but Vince McMahon will remain around-but perhaps won’t get another crack at creative.
source: @nypost, twitter, screenshot
How this will or won’t change WWE remains to be seen. UFC has flourished under Endeavor’s ownership, so that is encouraging.
What is perhaps worth watching? Will this once again change the WWE premium live event model.
Since forever, WWE charged a decent chunk of money to watch PPVs. A few years back the company dropped that, including PLE content as part of a WWE Network subscription.
Fans will have to watch to see if this changes. I know I for one was considering buying a recent UFC PPV, only to be shocked by the nearly 100 dollar price tag.
On the other hand, this new union opens up a world of cross-over opportunities. It would seemingly be a lot easier to share talent from one company to the other for cross-promotional needs.
