WWE-AEW merger seems possible amid HHH-Stephanie McMahon denials

Shad
Khan
and
Tony
Khan,
the
owners
of
All
Elite
Wrestling
are
the
latest
names
in
conversation
to
be
“interested”
in
merging
their
own
wrestling
promotion
with
World
Wrestling
Entertainment
–
WWE.

A
new
report
from
CNBC
quoted
an
anonymous
AEW
source
who
informed
that
the
father-son
duo
owners
of
AEW
are
exploring
the
possibility
of
partnering
“with
a
strategic
media
company
to
share
the
intellectual
property
while
merging
the
wrestling
leagues.”

The
report
added
that
The
Khans
are
“open
to
discussing
a
potential
role
for
[Vince]
McMahon”
if
and
whether
a
WWE-AEW
merger
is
to
take
place.
However,
it’s
“unclear
what
type
of
job
McMahon
would
want
with
WWE
after
a
sale.”

It
should
be
noted
that
Vince
would
still
love
to
be
in
control
of
running
creative
things
in
the
WWE
even
after
selling
his
company
and
this
is
the
reason
why
he
is
reportedly
open
to
handing
over
his
gigantic
empire
to
Saudi
Arabia.

As
for
AEW’s
interest
in
the
potential
blockbuster
deal,
CNBC
believes
such
a
merger
is
“a
long
shot”
and
that
Vince
may
consider
selling
his
multi-billion
dollar
corporation
to
the
Khans
“as
a
non-starter”
since
he
has
mainstream
media
companies
lined
up
for
a
takeover.

The
Khans
currently
own
NFL’s
Jacksonville
Jaguars
and
the
Premier
League’s
Fulham
FC
along
with
All
Elite
Wrestling.
Regarding
the
WWE
deal,
the
report
noted
that
The
Khans
are
yet
to
initiate
any
sort
of
talks
with
McMahon
or
Nick
Khan.

In
the
meantime,
Khan,
the
WWE
CEO
reportedly
met
with
high-ranking
executives
at
Disney
and
ESPN
Monday
to
possibly
discuss
a
WWE
sale
while
Stephanie
McMahon
and
Triple
H
remain
in
opposition
to
such
a
decision.

A
report
from
Axios
mentioned
that
the
power
couple
of
the
WWE
is
completely
opposed
to
the
idea
of
Vince
McMahon
selling
the
company.
They
have
their
own
reasons
to
be
in
charge
and
Stephanie’s
resignation
from
the
co-CEO
position
came
as
a
consequence
after
the
sale
rumours
began.

It’s
worth
noting
that
the
decision
was
taken
even
after
Vince
McMahon
stated
the
following
in
a
public
address
following
his
return
to
the
Board
of
Directors.

“WWE
has
an
exceptional
management
team
in
place,
and
I
do
not
intend
for
my
return
to
have
any
impact
on
their
roles,
duties
or
responsibilities.”

Overall,
the
belief
is
that
WWE
could
indeed
be
sold
within
the
first
six
months
of
2023
and
currently
the
potential
buyer’s
list
stands
as
follows:

–
Comcast

–
FOX

–
Disney

–
Warner
Bros.
Discovery

–
Netflix

–
Amazon

–
Endeavor
Group
Holdings

–
Liberty
Media

–
Saudi
Arabia
Public
Investment
Fund

–
The
Rock’s
Seven
Bucks
Productions

–
All
Elite
Wrestling
owners
Shad
Khan
and
Tony
Khan