The mass WWE releases have been a very hot topic in the world of professional wrestling over the last few years, and the releases have led to speculation that WWE could be getting their company ready for a potential sale.
WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan recently spoke with Sports Business Journal, and he confirmed that WWE has taken inbound calls from other companies who were looking to buy. However, Nick Khan also stressed that WWE is not currently in active conversations, and not actively looking to sell.
Khan also commented on Vince McMahon’s perception of WWE, and why he believes Vince brought him to the company in the first place.
“If it once was a mom-and-pop shop, Vince certainly didn’t believe it was anymore. Part of what I believe he was looking for in bringing in someone from the outside was to make sure the community at large didn’t treat it that way. We believe we’re a global content company.”
It was also noted that Khan wanted to make a push to the broader sports and entertainment community, and he also wanted to change internal attitudes about the company as well.
Before making the move from CAA Sports to WWE, Nick Khan represented WWE while the company sold their media rights to FOX and NBCUniversal. During the negotiations Khan was apparently struck by the attitude of some WWE staffers, some of whom he said acted as though they were fortunate just to have a seat at the table.
It was also noted that they were content to negotiate with executives far down the chain, and Nick Khan thought that attitude needed to change.
“Vince believed that WWE was at a place where it had earned a seat at the adult table, but others in the company didn’t see it that way.”
Stay tuned for updates.
