Endeavor and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) have signed a definitive agreement to create a new publicly listed company made up of UFC and WWE. The new company will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fan base of over a billion people and is expected to deliver $50 million to $100 million in annualized run rate cost synergies. Vince McMahon will be the Executive Chairman of WWE, and Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel will continue to hold his position as CEO of Endeavor.
WWE Superstar John Cena has been trying to master Mandarin for over five years.
As part of WWE’s efforts to expand into the Chinese market, Cena and other top stars were asked to throw around a few Mandarin phrases during their promotion in China a few years ago.
This experience piqued Cena’s interest in the language, and he decided to learn it as best he could. He saw it as a way to help his company achieve its goal of becoming a truly global company.
Cena is a busy man, but he has made time to learn Mandarin. He revealed that he has a tutor who comes over for two hours on days that he has free time, and they just talk in Mandarin.
Additionally, he carries a bag with two stacks of flashcards with Mandarin words and phrases, which he goes through on any days that he has time. According to Cena, the cards used to take him an hour and a half to go through, but now he can do it in just half an hour.
Despite his efforts over the past five years, Cena humbly admits that his proficiency level in Mandarin is still limited. He compares it to that of a third grader and disagrees with the notion that he is an expert in the language. However, he is fascinated with it and has become obsessed with trying to learn it.
Cena’s dedication to learning Mandarin is a reflection of WWE’s goal of expanding into the Chinese market.
By having one of their top stars learn the language and demonstrate his proficiency, WWE has showed its commitment to becoming a truly global company. It remains to be seen what impact Cena’s Mandarin skills will have on WWE’s success in China, but it is clear that he is doing his part to help the company achieve its goals. And will UFC follow along? Only time will tell.
