Tony Khan Says Shane McMahon is ‘Very Smart About Wrestling’ After Recent Meeting

Since his departure from WWE after WrestleMania 39, Shane McMahon has stayed mostly out of the wrestling spotlight. However, recent developments have reignited speculation about his potential involvement with AEW. This buzz intensified following a significant meeting between McMahon and AEW CEO Tony Khan. Khan has now addressed the recent meeting.

Mercedes Mone confirmed a brief encounter with Shane McMahon at the airport but chose to keep the details of their conversation private. Meanwhile, Tony Khan has expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of McMahon joining AEW, fueling further speculation.

On July 29, 2024, Khan and McMahon held a private meeting at an office in Arlington airport. This was their first direct discussion, despite Khan’s previous interest in connecting with McMahon. The meeting reportedly focused on exploring potential collaborative opportunities, which has led to rumors about McMahon’s possible future role in AEW.

While speaking during an appearance on Sedano & Kap, Khan addressed the meeting. He explained that he was informed Shane McMahon was interested in a discussion, and given the media buzz around it, he decided it was worth having a conversation. Khan mentioned that he had never met McMahon before but found him to be very pleasant and knowledgeable about wrestling. They had a great discussion and discovered they had many mutual friends.

Khan noted that the meeting took place in Dallas, facilitated by a mutual friend who is a prominent figure in pro wrestling. He described the meeting as enjoyable and expressed his respect for McMahon. Khan was aware of the photo taken during their conversation but didn’t mind it, emphasizing that discussing wrestling is part of what makes the industry exciting. While he’s uncertain about what the future holds, he finds the situation exciting for AEW.

“As I understand, he’s not doing anything with WWE, and I had a really nice visit with him. I heard from a lot of people that he was interested in talking and it had become, frankly, a big media story to the point where I was getting asked on the record questions about it and I answered them, just like I’ll answer you now. In advance of, I had never met him and my first conversation with him, there was a lot of buzz about this. I thought it would certainly be worth talking and I have a lot of respect for him. I had never met him, but he seemed like a really nice guy. I sat down with him, he was fantastic. I really enjoyed talking with him. He is a very smart person about wrestling and I thought he was a great guy. We have a lot of mutual friends and we both happened to be in Dallas.

A mutual friend linked us up, who is one of the bigger names in pro wrestling, and that friend put us on a group chat. I had a really nice talk and I really enjoyed visiting with him. Clearly, there was a lot of interest in it. Somebody, in the middle of talking at an airport conference room, somebody just busted in and took a photo. I think that’s fine. I enjoyed the conversation and there is nothing wrong with a couple of people getting together and talking about wrestling. That’s part of what makes wrestling so great. There is a lot to talk about and we’re all fans at heart. It’s a big thing. It’s exciting. It was nice to talk to him. I don’t know what’s to come, but it’s an exciting time in AEW.”

Internally, WWE also expects Shane McMahon to appear on AEW programming at least once. Nonetheless, we will have to wait and see whether the meeting will bear fruit and lead to a proper relationship in the future.

What’s your view on what Tony Khan had to say about his meeting with Shane McMahon? Sound off in the comments section below!