Following his retirement in July amidst allegations of sexual misconduct and hush money payments, Vince McMahon shocked the world once more when he announced in early January that he would be electing himself back onto the Board of Directors in order to facilitate a sale of the company.
Days later, his daughter Stephanie McMahon, who had been appointed co-CEO of the company alongside Nick Khan in the wake of her father’s retirement, announced her resignation from WWE, leaving Nick Khan as sole CEO. Moments after Stephanie’s resignation was announced, the company released a press release revealing that Vince McMahon had been unanimously elected Chairman of the Board.
A recent report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed how much top shareholders were set to make from a WWE sale if the company was sold for $8 billion as rumored, listing the following names:
- 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
However, according to a new report from Bloomberg, the asking price is actually even higher as Vince McMahon is looking for $9 billion. The report also notes that the company has already received numerous offers, though WWE has declined to comment on what those offers may be. During a recent interview with CNBC, CEO Nick Khan indicated that a sale could happen within months.
Bloomberg’s report also notes that at the close of the stock market on Thursday, the market value of WWE’s stock was worth $6.5 billion, which is 37% less than the asking price of $9 billion. The company’s stock has risen 30% this year, in part due to speculation about a sale.
Vince McMahon’s WWE Has Multiple Potential Buyers
Though it is unknown what offers have currently been made regarding a potential sale of the sports entertainment giant, the company has a number of potential buyers. Among them are UFC owners Endeavour, Comcast, AEW owners Shahid and Tony Khan, and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
The same day as Stephanie McMahon’s resignation was announced, rumors began to swirl that a sale to the Saudi Investment Fund has already been reached, but those rumors were firmly refuted.
AEW President Tony Khan has publicly declared interest in the potential of him acquiring the rival company, stating on a January episode of The Maggie and Perloff Show:
“I am interested in the news that there is potentially a sale process and certainly I think we’ve shown when there are acquisitions and transactions, we’re capable of making the big purchases,” Khan said. “AEW is my main focus, but certainly when that news is out there, it’s very interesting. So stay tuned to AEW Dynamite and stay tuned to AEW Rampage, you never know when I’m going to address something. It’s very preliminary to talk about that process. If there is a process there, which it sounds like there may be, I’m interested in being part of it.”