Triple H pitched current AEW star vs. NFL's Tim Tebow, says Nick Khan
WWE, AEW, and TNA are all off to hot starts in 2024, but the sports entertainment juggernaut jumped to even greater heights today by clinching a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix. Heading up the Stamford-based company are executives Triple H and Nick Khan, whose initial meeting 10 years ago involved a strange pitch for Tim Tebow and AEW star Paul Wight, aka Big Show.
Before joining WWE, Nick Khan worked as a sports agent for Creative Artists Agency, or CAA. He was hired to represent then-NFL quarterback Tim Tebow in 2013 after the controversial star was cut by the New England Patriots. Shortly afterward, Khan got a call from Triple H out of the blue.
In an interview on the Pat McAfee show today, Nick Khan revealed that Triple H was the one responsible for getting him into the wrestling business. Khan described his first phone call with The Game, who he remembered as 'Terra Ryzing' from WCW:
"Paul had called me, unsolicited call, and this is when Tim Tebow had just gotten cut by the Patriots. Paul called me, said, 'Hey, I just wanna introduce myself. My name is Paul Levesque.' I said, 'Oh, yeah, Triple H. I know who you are. I remember you as Terra Ryzing - his former wrestling name from WCW.'" (0:31 - 0:47)
Khan revealed that he had been a fan of WWE and was even an usher at WrestleMania IX before describing a major idea Triple H pitched for Tebow:
"He said, 'Hey, what do you think of Tim Tebow against The Big Show' at whatever that WrestleMania was after the Patriots run. (...) Tim and I had, then, a top-secret private meeting - Tim Tebow, myself, Vince McMahon, Triple H in Anaheim, California about that. Ultimately, it didn't happen." (0:56 - 1:20)
The Undertaker says Big Show and Mark Henry should not have gone to AEW
The event Tim Tebow and Paul Wight were pitched for would have been WrestleMania XXX in 2014, which was main-evented by current AEW star Bryan Danielson and also saw The Undertaker's legendary streak come to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Wight ultimately competed in a battle royal at that year's Show of Shows.
The former Big Show joined AEW in 2021 as an in-ring talent, commentator, and personality. WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker believes this was a mistake, as he recently revealed on Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway.
After listing his Mount Rushmore of big men in wrestling, The Phenom shouted out AEW's Mark Henry and Paul Wight as honorable mentions:
"Can I have an honorable mention list, at least?" The Undertaker said. "Because, I mean, there's guys like Mark Henry that was a phenomenal big man. The Big Show. Oh my gosh, man. Okay, hey, you guys shouldn't have left our company. You shouldn't have went to the other place! That worked against you in the final four here!"
Both Wight and Henry had huge careers in WWE, with the latter going into the company's Hall of Fame in 2018.
Would you have liked to see Big Show vs. Tim Tebow at WrestleMania XXX? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!