WWE Could Be Down To 2 Potential New Owners
Amid ongoing speculation on the long-term future of WWE, it appears that there might be only two parties in the running and one of them is AEW owner Tony Khan.
When Vince McMahon rejoined WWE in January 2023, it appeared that the company was open to offers with McMahon prepared to sell the company that he bought from his father in the early eighties.
Several media conglomerates were mentioned as possible purchasers of the sports entertainment giant but one by one they seem to have ruled themselves out with UFC owner Endeavor being the latest to indicate that they are not in the market for WWE.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that there might only be two interested parties in actually purchasing WWE, and one party has a clear advantage:
“(Tony Khan) has expressed interest, but for him to get it, he’d have to take in a lot of partners to get it. Which is not out of the realm of possibility – they could put together a giant deal. But aside from that – the Saudis and the Khan family – nobody else has publicly expressed interest in buying it, and the price is… in theory the price is very high, they threw that $9 billion figure out.
“Unless the Saudis have pretty much agreed to go with 9 billion, which is a very highly inflated figure that I don’t think anybody else would meet, then that’s probably where it’s gonna go. If it wasn’t for them, the figure would not be that high, but with them, the money is not as much of a deal as it is with other people trying to get a fair value for it.
“They’re looking for something completely different, it’s a completely different animal, and they do want it, and for all the talk, it doesn’t appear that any of the media companies are looking for it.”
Shortly after McMahon’s return, a rumour took hold that the Saudi Arabia PIF was on the verge of buying the company but they proved to be false. With money seemingly no object for the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, they could be in pole position to buy WWE and many expect if that happens, it will mean a return to full control for Vince McMahon.