TKO Accused of Squeezing WWE for Profit and Risks Stripping the Soul from the Product

Shane Douglas is sounding the alarm on WWE’s direction under TKO Group Holdings, and he isn’t sugarcoating how the corporate approach looks from his perspective.

Responding to a fan’s concern on his podcast that TKO is treating WWE like a short-term asset instead of a long-term creative brand, the ECW legend made it clear he sees the same problem. The fan framed the issue bluntly, arguing that new ownership tends to cut costs, jack up prices, and flood the product with advertising while damaging what made it special in the first place.

“I would like to get your opinion on WWE under TKO… My view is that like all third parties, they will look at the short term and cut costs… and maximize revenue, ridiculous ticket prices, spamming of adverts everywhere at the detriment of the product and the long-term success. They will milk it for all they can at a later date, once the soul has been ripped out.”

Douglas didn’t push back on that take. Instead, he doubled down and admitted that’s exactly how it appears to him watching from the outside.

“I can't disagree… That’s what it does look like to me at this point. You know, they paid 9 billion for it. It’s their baby. It’s their playground. They get to run that playground how they want.”

While he acknowledged that any company spending over $9 billion is going to want its money back, Douglas questioned the pace and philosophy behind the strategy. To him, there’s a difference between building WWE for the future and aggressively squeezing it for fast returns, and he worries TKO is leaning too hard toward the latter.

The concern isn’t just about ticket prices or ad placement—it’s about whether WWE’s identity can survive if the business side keeps overpowering the creative foundation that made fans care in the first place.

Douglas may not be watching every episode weekly, but his criticism taps into a growing feeling among some fans that WWE’s corporate evolution under TKO could come at a cost if the balance tips too far toward profit over passion.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.