On January 6th Vince McMahon completed a remarkable return to WWE after retiring the previous July.
McMahon’s return came with the news he would be working to sell the company and help in negotiations over their media rights deals. However, his comeback hasn’t come without controversy. To ensure his place on the Board of Directors, McMahon removed three serving members to make way for himself and two associates. This was followed by the news that Stephanie McMahon had left the company while two other Board members resigned.
Although Vince McMahon has since been elected Executive Chairman, he and the company are currently facing a number of lawsuits related to his return and the allegations of sexual misconduct that surround him.
Speaking in a recent interview, WWE CEO Nick Khan stated that the company could be sold very quickly, with a deal potentially being completed within three months. This sparked more speculation over who stands to benefit financially if and when WWE is sold.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer offered a breakdown of the main players which included a large sum for one surprising name. One name many fans might not be familiar with is Frank Riddick, although as company President and CFO, his inclusion is to be expected.
The list also includes Executive Vice President Kevin Dunn who is a long-time associate of Vince McMahon. While it’s not especially noteworthy that he stands to earn a payout, the fact that this payout is worth more than $24 million will certainly raise a few eyebrows among fans.
If the WWE was sold for $8 billion, this is roughly what the key people in the company would make from the sale:
- Vince McMahon $2,552,969,558
- Stephanie McMahon $170,842,415
- Linda McMahon $50,320,030
- Kevin Dunn $24,205,410
- Nick Khan $13,837,200
- Frank Riddick $10,931,948
- Paul Levesque $8,323,822
WWE Sale Has Been In The Works “For Years”
It was reported back in January that Nick Khan was set for a monster payday if WWE was sold due to an agreement with Vince McMahon which was written into his contract. The same report noted that the idea of a sale is something that the company had been working on for a number of years and was far from being a new development.