According to a new report, Tony Khan and his family are in the pool of potential buyers for WWE.
Barron's, a sister publication to the Wall Street Journal, has reported that Tony Khan and his father, Shad, are among the names 'in the pool' of potential suitors looking to buy WWE. Tony Khan had previously stated that he is closely following Vince McMahon's return to WWE.
Per the report, the Khan family will likely look for a financial partner if they are to acquire WWE as an asset.
In addition to the Khan family owning the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC, Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor in March 2022, presiding over the company as ROH held its most profitable pay-per-view events in its 20-year history.
The report also names Endeavor and Comcast as potential buyers but notes that an offer from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is more likely, given WWE has a previous relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Rumors circulated of WWE reaching an agreement with the Saudi Arabian PIF on the night of Tuesday, January 10. As a result, WWE stock rose 3.4% on the morning of Wednesday, January 11, but as no confirmation of a deal surfaced, the stock closed 0.8% lower. WWE has not issued a public comment regarding any potential deal.
Reportedly, any deal to purchase WWE is likely to be in the range of billions of dollars. Barron's cited Benchmark’s Mike Hickey, who wrote on January 6, "We think…market consideration related to the value of live content creates an optimal setting for an acquisition attempt... We think that now is the time to buy WWE. Business momentum is strong, and future growth prospects appear promising."
CNBC later reported that the Khan family would be interested in merging AEW with WWE. The report also states that the Khans would be open to Vince McMahon having a potential role in the company after sale. It is, however, noted that AEW hasn’t had talks with McMahon or Nick Khan.
Vince McMahon officially became executive chairman of the board on Tuesday, January 10. On that same day, Stephanie McMahon resigned from her position as Co-CEO of WWE.
WWE announced on January 12 that they retained The Raine Group, LLC as a financial advisor, Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a legal advisor, and August LLC as a strategic communications advisor to support WWE’s management team in connection with a review of strategic alternatives to maximize the value of the company and shareholders. Learn more here
Vince McMahon's return to power has already resulted in legal action being put forth against him by one of WWE's shareholders. Fans can read more about that situation here.
We will continue to monitor this story and report any and all updates.
