TKO, as an entity, has a major task on its hands right now: it has to win the hardcore fans back.
They may care about the casuals, the top line, the mainstream fans, celebrities, and influencers. They may not care about the hardcores now—but they will start to worry about them when the casuals become hardcores, which is what they want.
The letters TKO are becoming somewhat stained in the eyes of wrestling, MMA, and boxing fans. We should never be talking about TKO as fans—that’s the parent company.
They’re ruining the sanctity of what we love so much. The mat now has ads everywhere. The table has ads everywhere. The apron has ads everywhere. There are no more backstage vignettes, no more interviews, and entrances are being lost—it doesn’t feel the same anymore.