In what could have been one of the biggest deals in professional wrestling history, Tony Khan put in a bid to attempt to buy WWE.
The findings were reported by Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, with the new information bein revealed as part of an ongoing lawsuit between shareholders and World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2023, WWE announced that it had been acquired by the Endeavor group along with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, marking the first time in the promotion’s history that it was not owned by a member of the McMahon family. However, as noted in the document, there were other buyers.
The document lists companies Base 10, KKR and Liberty Media as other bidders alongside eventual winners Endeavor, with the respective bids being as follows:
- Base 10: $6.9 billion
- KKR: $8.0 billion to $8.7 billion
- Liberty Media: $8.5 billion to $8.9 billion
- Endeavor: $8.5 billion
Liberty Media is the parent company of Formula 1, and KKR is a private equity firm. Although Khan’s name is not publicly listed in the filings, the description makes it clear that he is the one who is backing Base 10:
“Base 10 is the owner of All Elite Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that plainly would enjoy significant synergies with WWE.”
It is unclear whether Khan’s status as the owner of AEW, WWE’s biggest competition, led to any influence in the bid not being accepted.
Vince McMahon, WWE President Nick Khan, Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, and former WWE Board members Michelle Wilson and George Barrios are listed as the defendants in the lawsuit. The trial is set to begin in June.
