Buckle up, kiddos. It’s going to be a wild few months in the world of professional wrestling, with rumors coming up daily, sometimes hourly, regarding who will or who will not be purchasing WWE.
A few days ago, people were sure that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund would be purchasing the company. Before that, it was Disney, or Comcast, or even Netflix.
Or course, one of the most left-field buyers could, seemingly, be Shahid and Tony Khan, owners of All Elite Wrestling.
At least, that’s what Barron’s is reporting. Barron’s is a subsidiary of the Wall Street Journal, so they are a credible source, and they’re reporting that Tony and Shahid Khan are one of the parties that could buy WWE.
“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,” the publication wrote. “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.”
Deep pockets, indeed. But this sale may be about more than just money. Would Vince McMahon, the man lauded for purchasing WCW and “choking the life out of [his] competition” allow for such a purchase? Would his ego be able to handle the history books saying AEW bought WWE? He may have to, if the price is good enough. While WWE is a publicly-traded company, McMahon is responsible to his investors and to his Board of Directors. If the price was good enough, but McMahon denied the sale simply because of ego matters, he could be opening himself up to a lawsuit.
Barron’s did report that a sale to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is more likely, due to the history between the country and the company. WWE, for years, has been putting on ‘WrestleMania-sized’ events, simply because Saudi Arabia paid them enough money to do so.
Other potential buyers, again, include Comcast (who owns NBCUniversal), Endeavor (who owns the UFC), and Disney (who owns the rights to the brilliant Disney Channel Original Movie Brink).
No matter who ends up buying the company, the next few months could very well be the most important time in the history of professional wrestling. Stick with Bodyslam as we continue to update this developing story.
Follow Nick at @WrestlePerks
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