ALL ELITE WRESTLING owner Tony Khan is reportedly in talks to buy WWE.
Vince McMahon, 77, shockingly returned to the world’s biggest wrestling company last week after he stepped down as WWE chairman and CEO amid sexual assault allegations.
GettyVince McMahon has returned to WWE to help sell the company[/caption]
GettyAEW owner Tony Khan is reportedly interested in buying WWE[/caption]
The billionaire confirmed in a statement that he was returning to the board of directors to help facilitate a sale of the WWE.
That led to his daughter Stephanie McMahon, who had been named interim CEO, to announce her departure from the company this week.
A host of names from Disney to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who own Premier League club Newcastle United, have been linked with a takeover.
Now the boss of rival wrestling promotion AEW Tony Khan, who also owns English top-flight side Fulham, is allegedly in talks to buy his competition.
Khan and his billionaire father Shahid’s interest was confirmed by Wall Street Journal’s sister publication Barron’s.
They wrote: “All Elite Wrestling – the top rival to WWE, led by Tony Khan and family – is in the pool of potential buyers for WWE, a person close to the potential transaction told Barron’s, adding that the Khans will likely look for a financial partner to acquire the asset.
“Tony Khan’s father Shahid Khan, a co-owner of AEW, already owns the football team Jacksonville Jaguars and the English soccer club Fulham Football Club, indicating the duo have deep pockets.”
Khan turned his attention to the squared-circle in January 2019 when launching his then new company AEW.
Since then he has led AEW’s growth and captured a number of big names from WWE, such as Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson and Chris Jericho.
McMahon who is the controlling shareholder of WWE, originally stepped back as boss last June after he was found to have paid $12m (£9.8m) to four women over 16 years to quell claims of alleged sexual misconduct and infidelity.
He left the company in the hands of his daughter Stephanie, 46, and his son-in-law Paul Levesque, a WWE legend known as Triple H.
But Stephanie resigned as co-CEO and Chairwoman of the board after her father returned as executive.
Husband Triple H is expected to continue his role as Chief Content Officer, with Nick Khan serving as WWE CEO, while talks over a sale rumble on.