Several notable executives among those departing WWE in post-merger layoffs (UPDATED)

As confirmed when Nick Khan’s email leaked yesterday, WWE is laying off corporate staff today (Sept. 15).

The cuts follows the official close of Endeavor’s acquisition of the company, and spin-off of the new TKO Group Holdings. Layoffs are common after any corporate takeover or merger, and have long been expected in this case given the behind-the-scenes overlap between WWE and its new sister company under the TKO umbrella, UFC.

PWInsider has been releasing the names of prominent executives included in the layoffs as they confirm them. People will follow CFO Frank A. Riddick III, whose exit was confirmed earlier this week, out of the C-Suite include:

• Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Digital. Horowitz joined WWE in 2021 after working for sports streamer DAZN as EVP of Global Content. Mike Johnson of Insider writes that Horowitz being let go is “somewhat surprising” as he was brought to WWE by Khan. Horowitz hiring wasn’t without controversary, as he’d left FOX Sports in 2017 while being investigated for sexual harrassment (Horowitz never commented on the matter, and his attorney said the claim was without merit).

• EVP and Head of Marketing Catherine Newman, who was hired just last year from Manchester United Media to oversee much of what Stephanie McMahon was responsible for when McMahon was Chief Brand Officer.

• Amanda Bloom, whose been with WWE for seven years and whose most recent title was Director, Enterprise Master Data & Governance. Johnson categorizes Bloom as a “major departure” from the tech side of WWE’s business, as she’d been key to the company’s analysis & use of meta data, designed “the foundational content data model for navigation and discovery on the WWE Network”, and was responsible for optimizing WWE’s tech processes.

• While Johnson didn’t have specifics names or numbers, he also reported on Insider that the WWE Network and podcasting divisions have been a focus of cuts.

• Andy Levine, who’d been with the company since 2018 and whose most recent title was Vice President, International & Platform Strategy.

• In noting that the marketing department “hit pretty hard”, Johnson writes that Insider has confirmed Kimberly Kirkegard, Brand Director and Saverio Brighina, Affiliate Marketing Manager were among those laid off today.

• Digital Campaign Manager Alexa Gotthardt confirmed she was laid off on her LinkedIn page. She’d been in that role since February of last year.

• No specific names confirmed, but there were multiple cuts made to the Live Events team.

• Dana Warrior, widow of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior, was among the cuts. She had been working in community outreach after a stint on the creative team.

• Johnson noted that he was initially cautious about what he’d heard in terms of how many people lost their jobs today, as “there’s been a lot of information flowing and a lot of emotions among those involved”. He did eventually report a number, which you can find here.