Real reason why Tony Khan seemingly put forward his name for a potential WWE purchase - Reports
New reports indicate the potential real reason for AEW President Tony Khan being linked to the purchase of WWE.
The story of the year thus far has been the return of Vince McMahon from his 2022 retirement. Adding another layer to the story was the fact that he had returned to pursue the sale of the company. Since then, rumors have emerged that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is leading the race to buy WWE.
It has also been reported that Tony and Shahid Khan, co-owners of AEW, are in the pool of potential buyers. The Khans are well-experienced in sports-ownership, with pro wrestling promotions AEW and Ring of Honor, English football side Fulham FC, and NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars owned by the family.
Fightful Select reports that a source close with the Khans hasn't heard it discussed but was said to have noted "it makes sense" from every perspective to at least throw your name out there, for the very reasons that the article even got published.
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The report mentions that the same source said that the publicity that would come with the rumored interest was a positive in itself, even though that wasn't likely a motivating factor. Also, it was said that the Khans would need to lead a group to push the purchase through.
Tony Khan's AEW and Triple H's WWE have been competing for signings
With AEW's emergence in 2019, it has been a primary competitor for WWE for the first time since WCW. Tony Khan has brought in a number of names formerly a part of WWE, including Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. Aside from Cody Rhodes and Bea Priestley, there weren't really any moves going the other way around.
Newly crowned one half of the AAA World Tag Team Champions Dragon Lee announces that he has been signed by WWE 🚨🚨🚨 twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/snrparN2nh
However, since Triple H succeeded Vince McMahon in charge of talent and creative, there has been a growing contention between the companies for talent. Bandido, who recently signed with Tony Khan's company, came under interest from World Wrestling Entertainment after he made his Dynamite debut.
Dragon Lee is another recent example, despite appearing prominently for Tony Khan, he signed with NXT in December 2022.
What do you think of a potential merger between the companies? Let us know in the comments section below.