WWE is currently considering a sale and companies like Endeavor, Comcast, Amazon, Disney and Netflix have all emerged as potential bidders. Reports of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund had already agreed to a deal in principle popped up earlier this week and have since been debunked, but the country is reportedly still in the running. And now, according to The Wall Street Journal’s sister publication Barron’s, you can now count the Khan Family as a potential buyer.ย
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The publication is reporting that All Elite Wrestling’s owners are “in the pool of potential buyers” according to a source. That source also noted Tony Khan and his father, Shahid Khan, “likely look for a financial partner to acquire the asset.” Forbes currently lists Shahid’s net worth at $11.6 billion and he already owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise and the Fulham football club. Tony and Shahid are the co-owners of AEW, though Tony runs the company as its president, CEO, general manager and executive producer.ย
Khan was asked about Vince McMahon’s return to the company and its potential sale earlier this week and declined to comment any further than he’s watching the situation “very closely.”ย
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer confirmed on Thursday that WWE CEO Nick Khan met with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Jimmy Pataro earlier this week at the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“They’re not sold. Saudi Arabia is in the hunt. They’re one of the companies that’s looking for it. The names that are out there are all in the hunt. Nick Khan was in Los Angeles when I was in Los Angeles. [He] went to the football game Monday night, so he wasn’t at Raw and met with heavy hitters because they went to the College Football Championship game. Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, so I guess those names will ring some bells,” Meltzer said.
ย Regarding the timetable for a possible sale, Meltzer noted,ย “They’re looking to sell by the middle of the year, JPMorgan is helping them. Saudi is the only one of the key people as far as if they want to go private. The rest are public companies…There’ll be a decision made at some point. There is definitely smoke to the Saudi Arabia story but it’s too early for a deal to be finalized.”
