Saptarshi Sinha on January 15, 2023
Vince McMahon’s return to the WWE Board of Directors, with the intention of selling the company, sparked a false report that the juggernaut wrestling promotion had been sold to the Saudi Public Investment Fund. While major companies such as Disney, NBC Universal, FOX, and Amazon are reportedly interested in purchasing WWE, Vince McMahon is yet to find a suitable buyer for his company. The most intriguing potential buyers are the founders/owners of AEW, Shahid and Tony Khan.
Former Executive Director of SmackDown, Eric Bischoff, recently weighed in on the possibility of The Khan Family reaching a deal with The McMahons over the sale of WWE. Bischoff, who has been critical of AEW in the past, spoke on the “83 Weeks” podcast.
Eric Bischoff cast doubt on the idea that Tony Khan and his father would be able to run a complex machine, with so many moving parts, like WWE. The Khans do own other sports teams, but none of them are the same kind of massive organization like WWE.
“Acquiring WWE is, that’s a big, giant move. I don’t see it. Now, could it happen? Sure, anything is possible. But if you really think about it, does the Khan enterprise have the experience, knowledge, infrastructure, ability to run a company as complex as WWE? … They may be in the same business, but they don’t live and play in the same universe.”
It’s unknown whether Shahid and Tony Khan have the necessary funds to compete in a bidding war for WWE. As of this writing, Vince McMahon’s WWE has an estimated value of more than $6 billion. According to Eric Bischoff, The Khan Family “have more than enough money” to purchase WWE outright.
Earlier this week, Stephanie McMahon resigned from WWE’s Board Of Directors, leading to speculation that she and Triple H weren’t in support of the potential sale of the company. The speculations were later shot down, and it was reported that Stephanie and Hunter were fully aware that Vince McMahon’s controlling shares would have to be offloaded in some fashion in the event of a sale.
Although Vince McMahon returned to WWE to facilitate a potential sale of WWE, along with negotiations for new television deals, the situation could get chaotic once the billionaire finds a suitable buyer for his promotion. It’s been previously reported that McMahon wishes to offload WWE by the middle of 2023.
Besides AEW, The Khans also own the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and the Premier League’s Fulham Football Club, and Ring Of Honor. We’ll have to see who ends up buying WWE, but there are a few high-dollar top contenders.
What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments section.
January 15, 2023 1:36 am
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