WWE Employees Shut Down on Stock Purchase Benefit After TKO Merger

WWE employees hoping to buy company shares at a discount just got some bad news.

Before WWE’s merger with TKO in September 2023, workers could purchase stock at a 15% discount, but that perk is officially dead. Despite employees repeatedly asking about it in town hall meetings—including as recently as two weeks ago—HR finally gave them a definitive answer this week.

According to an internal email reviewed by Wrestlenomics, the decision is final. “Due to TKO’s corporate structure, we are unable to launch a new Employee Stock Purchase Plan that offers the same type of individual tax benefits that were previously offered by the WWE plan,” the email stated.

Instead, TKO is offering stock grants, but those are mainly reserved for high-ranking employees. The email added, “However, TKO shares continue to be granted to eligible employees as part of our Long-Term Incentive Plan.”

For those who had previously taken advantage of the WWE stock purchase program, all shares were converted to TKO stock when the merger happened, just like with other WWE shareholders. Still, that doesn’t do much for the employees who were hoping to continue getting discounted shares under the new ownership.