It’s seconds out on a £7bn smack down for WWE

It is known for its dramatic in-ring brawls, watched by a devoted army of fans. But now behind the scenes there is an uphill battle going on for the giant corporation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Several US conglomerates and the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund are scrambling for control of the £5.5bn manufacturing group.

And to make matters even more intriguing, there’s a feud between two generations of the McMahon family that controls the company — with commentators saying the situation is more akin to the power struggle in the TV drama Succession than the flamboyant antics of WWE- wrestlers.

Thousands of retail investors in the UK will be watching closely as City asset manager Lindsell Train, popular with UK savers, is one of the major shareholders.

The London-based company owns a stake of more than 17 percent, currently worth £551 million, and investors could qualify for a lucrative payday.

WWE, which films and licenses professional wrestling fights to TV networks around the world, has kickstarted the showbiz careers of stars like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and John Cena.

Fighters for ownership of the company reportedly include the Saudi Public Investment Fund, telecom giant Liberty Global, which owns Virgin Media O2 in the UK, and Endeavor Group, which runs the Ultimate Fighting Championship martial arts tournament.

Whoever prevails owns a media monster that brought in £1.1bn in revenue and £230m profit last year.

Professional wrestling is a huge business internationally and WWE tops the pile, with an estimated 36 million viewers in 180 countries.

The franchise is known for its outlandish theatricality, featuring characters such as “The Undertaker,” “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan.

But over the past year, an equally dramatic saga played out in the WWE boardroom centered around longtime boss and founder Vince McMahon, a former wrestling commentator.

A report emerged in February that he is seeking a whopping £7.3bn for the company – 33 per cent more than its current market value – bringing his 40 per cent stake to around £2.9bn.

McMahon, 77, bought the company from his father 40 years ago before going on to dominate the industry during a professional wrestling boom.

He even created his own on-screen persona, playing a villainous version of himself, often having to handle piles of cash before stepping into the ring in a suit, only to be assaulted by his wrestlers. A particularly sensational episode occurred in 2007 when McMahon took on Donald Trump in a staged feud dubbed the “Battle of the Billionaires.” It culminated in Trump shaving the head of the WWE boss.

McMahon suddenly retired last July following a series of allegations that he paid around £9.7 million in hush money to former WWE employees, which he denied. He was succeeded by his daughter Stephanie, 46, a former professional wrestler who debuted on WWE in 1999.

She is married to Paul Levesque – better known by his stage name Hunter Hearst Helmsley, aka ‘Triple H’.

He is also the company’s chief content officer, responsible for WWE’s storylines and in-ring action.

Daddy’s Girl: Stephanie McMahon, daughter of kingpin Vince, in her wrestling days

But things took a turn for the worse when Vince – who remains WWE’s controlling shareholder – made a dramatic return to the board in a coup that saw him force several other members to replace them with loyalists.

He was reinstated in his former role as Executive Chairman.

Stephanie, long considered the heir to the throne, resigned soon after and left the company.

The comeback set the stage for frantic speculation about WWE’s future. The company said it had returned to conduct a “strategic review,” which many interpreted as possibly including a sale.

Some industry experts think the sheer amount McMahon is asking for is too much for most buyers to swallow.

“I don’t think many buyers will be willing to shell out £7.3bn,” said Brandon Thurston, editor of the Wrestlenomics blog and podcast. “If that’s really Vince’s asking price, then only the Saudis come close.”

Thurston added that McMahon was unlikely to agree on a deal that would see him leave the company permanently.

McMahon also appears to have mended the fences with the company over his misconduct allegations.

An application revealed he had paid the company £14.1 million earlier this month to cover costs related to an internal investigation into the matter.

With such eye-watering sums at stake, as well as the hearts of millions of wrestling fans, the war over WWE is heading for a tense showdown before McMahon finally decides to tap out.