WWE's smaller rival AEW interested in merger, sources say - CNBC

All Elite Wrestling, a nonrecreational wrestling league owned by the Khan family, is funny successful merging with World Wrestling Entertainment, according to radical acquainted with the matter.

The Khans, who besides ain the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Premier League's Fulham F.C., could spouse with a strategical media institution to stock the intelligence spot portion merging the wrestling leagues, said the people, who asked not to beryllium named due to the fact that the discussions are private. AEW has a TV carriage rights statement with Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT and TBS.

The thought that Vince McMahon, the controlling shareholder of WWE, would merge his institution with the overmuch smaller AEW is simply a agelong shot. AEW hasn't had talks with McMahon oregon Nick Khan, the company's main executive, said the people. McMahon whitethorn presumption selling to the Khans arsenic a non-starter.

The Khans are unfastened to discussing a imaginable relation for McMahon, 77, aft a merchantability but haven't yet had those talks, 1 of the radical said. It's unclear what benignant of occupation McMahon would privation with WWE aft a sale, but WWE is simply a overmuch larger and much established enactment than AEW. McMahon, who was worth much than $3 cardinal arsenic of July, is besides known arsenic the superior originative unit down WWE's storylines.

Sports tycoon Shahid Khan, 72, is ranked 292 connected the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a nett worthy of $7.56 billion. He besides owns car parts shaper Flex-N-Gate.