Marc Middleton in WWE News, WWE Rumors and Spoilers

Triple H Named Head of WWE Creative, WWE Officially Names Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as Co-CEOs, Preliminary Q2 Earnings

(Photo Credit: WWE)

WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Paul “Triple H” Levesque is now the head of creative.

WWE issued a press release this morning to announce that Triple H will assume all responsibilities related to WWE creative, in addition to his regular duties. This comes after he was named the head of Talent Relations on Friday, just hours before Vince McMahon retired from the company.

Vince’s retirement announcement on Friday also mentioned that Stephanie McMahon is the new Chairwoman of the Board and the Co-CEO, along with new Co-CEO Nick Khan.

Today’s press release included a joint statement from McMahon and Khan.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to lead WWE together with our unmatched management team,” they said. “We recognize this is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility, and we look forward to serving the WWE Universe.”

WWE also reported preliminary second quarter 2022 financial results. The full release can be seen below, along with ongoing coverage of the recent changes at WWE HQ:

WWE & BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCE NEW CO-CEOS STEPHANIE MCMAHON AND NICK KHAN

Company Reports Preliminary Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results

STAMFORD, Conn., July 25, 2022 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and its Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as co-Chief Executive Officers. Ms. McMahon has also been appointed Chairwoman of the Board, and Mr. Khan will continue to serve as a member of the Board. These appointments follow Vince McMahon’s retirement announcement on Friday, July 22.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to lead WWE together with our unmatched management team,” said Ms. McMahon and Mr. Khan. “We recognize this is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility, and we look forward to serving the WWE Universe.”

Additionally, WWE executive Paul Levesque will assume all responsibilities related to WWE’s creative, in addition to his regular duties.

Below are preliminary financial results for the second quarter 2022. Further details regarding these matters can be found in the Form 8-K filed today by the Company with the SEC.

Preliminary Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Our financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 are not yet complete. Accordingly, we are presenting preliminary estimates of certain financial results that we expect to report for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. The preliminary financial results are subject to revision as we prepare our financial statements and disclosures for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, and such revisions may be significant. The preliminary financial results should not be viewed as a substitute for financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Based on the foregoing, the Company expects revenue, operating income and Adjusted OIBDA to be approximately $328 million, $70 million and $92 million, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2022. These amounts compare to revenue, operating income and Adjusted OIBDA of $266 million, $46 million and $68 million, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Adjusted OIBDA for the three months ended June 30, 2022 is above the high end of the Company’s guidance range of $80 – $90 million.

Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted OIBDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. WWE views operating income as the most directly comparable GAAP measure. The Company defines Adjusted OIBDA as operating income excluding depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, certain impairment charges and other non-recurring material items that otherwise would impact the comparability of results between periods. Adjusted OIBDA includes amortization and depreciation expenses directly related to supporting the operations of our segments, including content production asset amortization, depreciation and amortization of costs related to content delivery and technology assets utilized for the WWE Network, as well as amortization of right-of-use assets related to finance leases of equipment used to produce and broadcast our live events. The Company believes the presentation of Adjusted OIBDA is relevant and useful for investors because it allows them to view the Company’s segment performance in the same manner as the primary method used by management to evaluate segment performance and to make decisions regarding the allocation of resources. Additionally, the Company believes that Adjusted OIBDA is a primary measure used by media investors, analysts and peers for comparative purposes.

Click here to read the full preliminary earnings report from the WWE Corporate website.