A WWE-UFC Crossover Event: The Ultimate Collision Of Sports Entertainment

Throw in a WWE and UFC merger under the TKO Group Holdings banner, and rampant speculation has gone into overdrive with all the many ways these leading professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions in the world can come together. Though WWE and UFC, for the most part, have come out to say that both businesses will pretty much run independently of each other, the concept of one giant show involving WWE and UFC has proven tantalizing to fans from both corners of the sports entertainment universe. Let’s dive into what could go down in such an unprecedented spectacle.

The Setting

But as already emphasized, such a momentous, eventful happening—likely to engage audiences around the nation—could never happen within tiny stadium confines accommodating 80,000 spectators or more: think AT&T Stadium in Dallas, SoFi in L.A., and Allegiant in Vegas. Model events of its predecessors, for two nights, would see one focusing heavier on matches set out more so along UFC-style combatants, though WWE action/segmentation dominated this card.

The Card

The card for such a never-seen-before crossover would have to be a balancing act between true MMA bouts, a few scripted professional wrestling matches, and hybrid matches that combined both. Here’s how such a lineup could shape up:

Night One – “The Octagon”

UFC Lightweight Championship Bout

WWE vs. UFC Tag Team Exhibition Match

UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship Bout

WWE Superstar vs. UFC Fighter Special Rules Match

UFC Heavyweight Title Fight

Night Two – “The Squared Circle”

WWE Women’s Championship Match

Exhibition Fight: UFC Fighter/WWE Superstar to Box

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

UFC vs. WWE 5-on-5 Elimination Tag Team Match

WWE Universal Championship Match

Key Matchups and Segments

Let’s tease apart some of the potential marquee attractions that might headline such a groundbreaking event:

UFC Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

The UFC portion of the card would be headlined by its most prestigious title. Current champion Jon Jones, against rising British star Tom Aspinall in a battle of generational eras 15, would showcase the elite MMA to this pro wrestling audience and give Aspinall the biggest stage he could hope for to dethrone one of all-time greats in the sport.

WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Conor McGregor

For WWE, it gets no bigger and creates the biggest amount of buzz the moment Conor McGregor, UFC’s golden goose, decides that he’s next in line and challenges Roman Reigns for what many claim, or perceive anyway, to be the company’s most touted prize. Yes, McGregor comes with no semblance of what professional wrestling is all about bause of his immense potential in working said mic; McGregor’s bigger-than-life character actually makes him that perfect fit for a WWE mega-program. To set things rolling, expect him to go ahead and take many verbal pokes—hot indeed—while promos between Paul Heyman and himself play out with several epic battles.

Special Rules Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Francis Ngannou

This would pit the former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar against fearsome knockout artist Francis Ngannou in a match that marries MMA and pro wrestling elements. The bout could feature rounds alternating between worked pro wrestling action and shoot-style striking exchanges with MMA gloves. This unique format would play to both men’s strengths while creating an utterly unpredictable spectacle.

5-on-5 Elimination Tag Team Match: Team UFC vs. Team WWE

The perfect brand warfare would be an old-school, traditional Survivor Series-style elimination match featuring five UFC fighters against five WWE superstars. You have personalities such as Colby Covington, Sean O’Malley, and Paddy Pimblett coming from the UFC team in this dream event against WWE superstardom by the likes of Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre—a dream for sure.

Production and Presentation

The feel and look of this crossover extravaganza would need to marry the striking visual identities of both WWE and UFC events. The two-night structure would lend itself to night one being more akin to a UFC pay-per-view, complete with the octagon, while night two would be WWE’s elaborate staging and entrance ramps.

The action would be called by a hybrid announce team combining WWE and UFC commentators. Michael Cole and Corey Graves could be joined by Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier in order to give expert analysis from the perspective of both pro wrestling and MMA. Special guest commentators like Paul Heyman, Chael Sonnen, and Ariel Helwani can rotate in for select matches to further add star power and insight.

Building the Event

This would be a very important, months-long build, as that’s what would get the mainstream interested and familiarize each respective fanbase with the other product. UFC fighters would appear on WWE’s weekly TV programs to lay the seeds for various matches. WWE-style promo segments and confrontations would occur at UFC press conferences and media events, further muddling what was shoot and what was scripted14.

This can be a multi-series documentary that would run on both ESPN and USA Network, showing all the behind-the-scenes action to put this enormous event together. This would add significant context to how WWE and UFC are different and similar while highlighting the star power involved in it.

Challenges and Considerations

The whole idea of a WWE-UFC crossover is undeniably intriguing, but execution presents a number of big hurdles:

Competitive integrity: The UFC has to ensure their championships and rankings are as legitimate as possible; this includes not having their fighters too directly involved in the planning of the outcomes preordained by the organization.

Physical risk: WWE performers aren’t trained in legitimate striking exchanges, and UFC fighters lack experience with the necessary timing and coordination to perform safe pro wrestling bumps and falls. Preceding hybrid matches by months of training and under clear guidelines would be preferable.

Audience expectations: For the fanbase of WWE and UFC, live events mean different things. A delicate balancing act has to be performed to find the middle ground for both groups’ demands24.

Regulatory issues: Athletic commissions that sanction UFC bouts may take umbrage with legitimate fighters engaging in worked matches on the same card as the sanctioned contests.

Star power allocation: Both WWE and UFC would want to protect their biggest draws, so negotiations on who goes over in the biggest matches may get hairy.

Potential Benefits

But such an obstacle course would result in the following benefits for both brands in the event of a successful WWE-UFC crossover event:

Expanded audience: Each company has the opportunity to expose their product to the other’s fanbase, potentially growing their overall viewership.

Media attention: Such an event would be so novel and would attract much attention from major media, putting WWE and UFC in the spotlight.

New storyline opportunities: The crossover gives new paths both companies could continue with afterwards in a creative way.

Increased sponsorship opportunities: An event of this size would attract lucrative sponsorship deals that neither WWE nor UFC could attain on their own.

Talent development: Allowing the WWE to expose its talents to UFC fighters and vice versa will lead to the discovery of new stars for both brands—ones that can appeal across both platforms—while WWE performers could appreciate a new respect for the legitimate combat sport of MMA.

Long-Term Impact

A WWE-UFC crossover implies so much more than just the actual event. It would maybe open the doors to near-regular interactions between the two brands, perhaps annual interpromotional matches at each big show—WrestleMania or International Fight Week.

Perhaps a future factor in each product’s different directions will involve more realism and sports-based presentation in WWE versus the possible taking over of more theater-driven aspects in their fight production and promotion with the UFC.

In the end, a successful crossover could place TKO Group Holdings as the undisputed leader in combat sports entertainment, capable of offering unmatched spectacles that bring together the best elements of athleticism, competition, and storytelling.

Conclusion

A full-scale crossover event between WWE and UFC is an enormous opportunity, as much as it is a monumental challenge. The creative and logistical hurdles are considerable, but the possibility of a truly groundbreaking sports entertainment experience is undeniable.

With the lines between scripted and legitimate combat sports continuing to blur, this could be a model mega-event that would not only be possible but inevitable. Whether it actually materializes or remains an intriguing “what if?” scenario, the very idea of WWE and UFC joining heavyweights together speaks volumes toward possibilities in this new era of consolidated combat sports entertainment.