Tag: Nick Khan

New documents show Endeavor execs anticipated Vince McMahon’s 2023 return & selling to them

Posted on by Josh Nason

Newly revealed documents and text messages revealed that a key executive that now heads up TKO was confident about Vince McMahon’s return to WWE in 2023 and that he would sell the company to Endeavor — a prediction that turned out to be accurate.

The report comes courtesy of Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston in association with Post Wrestling who obtained the documents and revealed the information Monday, including images of text messages from newly disclosed records as part of the current WWE shareholder lawsuit.

The suit claims that McMahon was in violation of his fiduciary duties by arranging for WWE to merge with UFC to create TKO, a move done to keep him in power rather than get the best deal for WWE shareholders.

One of the key messages is from Mark Shapiro, who heads up TKO and was also a higher-up at Endeavor, sent to current TKO chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer and then-Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin.

“Nick and Stephanie are going to take over the WWE for the next nine months. Vince [will] be back with a new board or he will take the company private or he will sell it/coming to us. The race is on. The courtship is on,” Shapiro wrote.

“Nick” is Nick Khan and “Stephanie” is Stephanie McMahon. The text was sent on July 22, 2002 — the same day Vince McMahon announced his “retirement.” It’s unclear why Shapiro was so confident, or accurate, with his assessment.

Vince McMahon returned less than six months later in January 2023, placing himself back on the WWE Board with the intent to sell the company. The deal with Endeavor then came together three months later.

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Thurston noted that the documents reveal that Vince McMahon and Endeavor head/agent Ari Emanuel were communicating during the timeframe in which he stepped down and then returned, arranging for an August 2022 dinner with Emanuel, Stephanie McMahon and Khan. It was noted there is nothing illegal about such a meeting given McMahon’s stature as that time as WWE’s primary shareholder.

There was also an exchange that same month with Emanuel offering backstage passes to a Bill Burr comedy show at Boston’s Fenway Park. While some of the exchange, in addition to an unknown download link and attachments, is redacted, one line from Emanuel is not: “I will be your greatest partner.”

It’s unclear if Emanuel was alluding to the impending deal.

There was also an August 2022 exchange where Emanuel offered to fly from Paris to Italy to meet McMahon after the now-former TKO chairman McMahon met with a senior banker who served as WWE’s financial advisor during the sale process. That same banker had worked with Endeavor previously as well as McMahon as part of his 2020 XFL re-launch.

Executives from Liberty Media, a group who was also interested in WWE, sent internal emails after the April 2023 merger announcement, saying they felt the deal was “pre-wired” and already arranged before the formal bid process kicked off.

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One of the exchanges from the extensive article showed McMahon texted with Khan about creative in February 2023, asking if Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes were aware of “new creative” for WrestleMania that year and the year after, noting he had asked both Paul Levesque and Bruce Prichard.

Khan replied “Langis” to which McMahon didn’t have any idea what he meant. Khan told him to read the word backward which is assumed to be Signal, the encrypted messaging app.

From Thurston:

“That interaction, regarding “new creative,” runs counter to Khan’s statement a month later on CNBC that McMahon wasn’t involved in the creative process. The public record doesn’t show more about what “new creative” McMahon was referring to or whether he had any influence in Roman Reigns’ win over Cody Rhodes in the main event of that year’s WrestleMania, an outcome that surprised many fans.”

The shareholder lawsuit is set to go to trial in June 2026 with the discovery phase nearing an end with financial restitution possible if the plaintiffs win the case.

Nick Khan says if celebrities want to come to WWE just to chase clout, ‘we don’t want ’em’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

WWE president Nick Khan explained how Logan Paul got his break in WWE as part of a detailed conversation on the ImPaulsive podcast and revealed their stance on other celebrities wanting to compete in the ring.

“When the executive who first brought Paul up to me, Triple H and the founder of the company said ‘hey we should give him a shot, he wants to wrestle’, the first thing we always look for, and it applies to Logan who is now full-time with us performing at an extremely high level, it applies to Bad Bunny, it applies to people who have come in, Tyson Fury.”

“First of all they have to be a fan,” Khan added. “If they’re just doing it because, as younger folks would say, they’re chasing clout, we don’t want ’em. If you love it, we’re open to the conversation.”

Further speaking to Paul himself on the podcast, Khan heaped praise on the former United States Champion and openly called out his star power.

“And once you sit with Logan, you know he has star power, you saw everything he had done. The advantage from this point of view, and the disadvantage from you or someone like you’s point of view, is you got to grow up on camera.”

“I like the way you responded to any perceived mistakes you made in life, that’s what people are supposed to do when they’re young, they’re not supposed to have all the answers to this stuff,” Khan continued. “So from our point of view this was a mature young man, certainly athletic, if he comes to down the Performance Center and does what we think he can do, there’s all the upside in the world. So far everyone has been right.”

Paul is now involved in a feud against CM Punk while also enjoying his alliance with Paul Heyman and The Vision.

Logan Paul ‘thinks’ he is a full-time member of The Vision

Following his Survivor Series victory with The Vision, Paul was openly asked about his status with The Vision on his ImPaulsive podcast, when he responded,

“I think so. I think so. I understand that this is a business where, in a heartbeat, there can be betrayal and backstabs. Look, this industry is cutthroat, and I know people probably expected me to do some scummy shit with my current team, and I always got my eyes peeled, but I like the group of guys I’m currently aligned with in the Vision. We get along really well, not wrestling related, just behind the scenes.”

Nick Khan: ‘I love where creative has gone’ with Triple H in charge

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

WWE president Nick Khan has opened up about his business relationship with Triple H.

In the latest episode of ImPaulsive with Logan Paul, fans witnessed WWE President Nick Khan appear for an interview. Speaking on a wide range of topics, Khan discussed his working dynamic with Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H.

“The only times I’ll get involved (in creative) is if he calls and asks for my point of view on something, or if I really feel strongly about it,” Khan noted. “Just as if he really feels strongly about something on the business side, I want him to call me.”

Later in the interview, Khan talked about how frequently he and Triple H communicate.

“I’ll talk to Paul [Levesque] three to five times a day, which is a lot. He’s been a phenomenal partner and I love where creative has gone. It’s Paul’s vision being executed by folks like (Logan Paul).”

Going more deep into the conversation, Nick Khan stated that the business will keep on growing as long as fresh talents keep coming and the seniors earn their status.

“As long as we have a pipeline of young fresh talent, and we have the folks that have earned their senior status; Roman, Seth who’s injured, Cody, Randy, those folks where the young folks can be under their tutelage, I think we got a great shot to have the business continue to soar and grow year over year.”

Khan also shared his thoughts on John Cena’s involvement in his retirement run.

Nick Khan: There have been ‘no disputes’ during John Cena’s WWE retirement run

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Image: WWE

WWE president Nick Khan has a positive outlook with John Cena’s ongoing retirement run.

Talking with Logan Paul on ImPaulsive, Khan discussed the tour that comes to an end next weekend.

“[John] Cena on this retirement tour, the generosity of his spirit in the ring is unparalleled,” Khan said. “There is never a ‘I don’t like this outcome because it doesn’t make me look good.’ There’s a lot of ‘let’s do this in the storyline. Let’s do this in the match,’ which is what you want from the John Cena’s of the world. There is never a ‘Why are you having me lose to Dominik Mysterio?’ He always does what is best for the business and it’s turned out quite well for him.”

Cena announced his retirement tour last year at Money in the Bank and is now all set to wrestle his final match on the December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event against either Gunther or LA Knight.

Khan also shared more details about the creative approach behind Cena’s final run. While both Cena and Triple H have been involved in booking the veteran’s last stretch, Khan claimed that there has been no issues with Cena during this year.

“It’s he and Triple H together, but there has not been a dispute; ‘let’s end with this. No, let’s end this way.’ There has not been a dispute with John Cena since he announced his retirement tour, prior to that, or since he executed his retirement tour. Smooth.”

Nick Khan: Top guys in WWE are ‘getting rich,’ middle have ‘really good life’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nick Khan believes WWE has a pay structure where the top stars are getting rich and the middle class are able to live a really good life.

The WWE president spoke with Max Kellerman this week for an interview on Ring Magazine’s Inside the Ring. During their conversation, Khan discussed the Muhammad Ali Reform Act and the pay structure that boxing has had historically. In boxing, Khan says there have only been “rich” fighters and fighters who are “not rich.” He does not feel WWE has that same issue.

“It’s a meritocracy. If you make it to the top and you’re marketable — you get paid. That’s how any job should be. Your job, my job, any job,” Khan said. “Similarly in WWE, if you’re Roman Reigns, if you’re Brock Lesnar, if you’re Cody Rhodes, all the guys at the top of our game, CM Punk. They’re getting rich. If you’re in the middle, you’re not getting rich but you have a really good life. In boxing, to your point, it’s not that way. It’s not that way. There’s really only rich or not rich.”

Khan, UFC’s Dana White, and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh are heading up Zuffa Boxing, which is TKO’s attempt to break into the sport. The new organization has signed a media rights deal with Paramount that will begin in January 2026. Khan told Inside the Ring that he wants to use the promotional muscle of TKO to elevate stars in boxing and create new ones.

Nick Khan: WWE is ‘honored’ to have Brock Lesnar back

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE President Nick Khan is more than happy to have Brock Lesnar back in the fold.

Lesnar returned to WWE this summer, ending a two-year absence from the ring. His return at SummerSlam 2025 marked Lesnar’s first time back with WWE since his name was mentioned in the lawsuit that former WWE employee Janel Grant filed against Vince McMahon and the company. Lesnar is not a defendant in the suit, and it was reported that WWE legal gave the okay for his return.

While appearing on The Daniel Cormier Show, Khan praised how easy Lesnar is to work with. He said WWE is “honored” to have Lesnar back.

“As you know… when he walks into a room he looks, and usually is, the baddest dude on the planet. And that’s what he looks like and that’s his personification,” Khan said. “By the way, he’s a gem to work with — easy. So, as long as he sort of knows things in advance, there’s no issues. We’re honored to have him back. I’m happy he’s here.”

Lesnar has worked two matches since his return, defeating John Cena at Wrestlepalooza and then taking part in WarGames at Survivor Series last weekend. The WarGames match saw Lesnar, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre defeat CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns & The Usos.

In his return, Lesnar has signed a new contract with WWE. His future dates include being advertised for WrestleMania 42.

Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon and WWE remains ongoing. It accuses McMahon of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.

Daily Update: Nick Khan-Pat McAfee, TNA, Hardys indie match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

We have the largest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in our history up on the site covering two very newsworthy weeks:

  • Full coverage of Full Gear. The good, the bad, the reaction, the business notes, reasons for the surprisingly good PPV number, thoughts on the world title change, long title reigns and how they create legends, and early Continental Classic thoughts.
  • Notes and odds regarding upcoming matches
  • UFC announces its first two shows of 2026, changes that the company is making and why the first two main events are so controversial
  • Full coverage of UFC 323
  • The life and times of Bob Caudle, the voice of Mid Atlantic wrestling and a Hall of Fame candidate
  • A detailed look at how and why the ratings have changed, why the explanation makes no sense, exactly how much the new panel and big data ratings have hurt each show and in particular where.
  • The most in-depth look at the ratings for all the shows over the past two weeks, placings for the week, placings in the time slot, men vs. women, how the placings compare to 2024 and 2023, and each show compared with the prior year and prior week, as well as the leading competition for each show.
  • Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, Komander, Mortos, Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight go to CMLL, draw big crowds and a look at their key matches
  • CMLL ready to honor a milestone it is close that no company has ever done in history
  • Notes on AAA’s new TV deal in Mexico and Latin America and who they are pushing as the top stars
  • WWE tag team taking the name of one of Mexico’s greatest tag teams in history
  • Updates on tag team tournaments in Stardom, New Japan and All Japan.
  • Wrestler suspended after getting in car accident and messing up a tournament
  • Update on Tokyo Dome ticket sales
  • Fantastica Mania 2026 notes
  • Battle of the Generations
  • RAF new philosophy and update
  • Santo’s final matches
  • Sting’s son has first singles match
  • Headbangers farewell tour
  • The oldest male wrestler in history has a match last week
  • Opera Cup notes
  • TNA business notes as well as notes on the next PPV show and the last major show
  • AEW TV changes
  • Final Battle updated card
  • Tony Khan on multiple subjects
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA shows
  • Two best in the world at their specific sport athletes are on UFC’s radar
  • Becky Lynch’s comments
  • Update on stockholders lawsuit against WWE
  • New WWE signings
  • WWE star talks about her domestic violence issue
  • WWE engagements
  • Bret Hart talks McMahon and Michaels and our thoughts on it

This Week’s Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • John Cena recorded an episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast that will be released on Thursday night.
  • On the Pat McAfee Show, WWE President Nick Khan praised Cena for how hard he works:
    • You talk about people who work their behinds off, who never say that they’re tired: Cena. You know him, you never hear him say, ‘I’m so tired, I can’t believe this, I have to do this or that.’ He just does it.
    • And you talk about the GOAT [Greatest of All Time], that’s GOAT mentality. He deserves everything that he’s earned in his life, and it’s our honor to help see him out.
  • Khan noted that he and McAfee will be meeting soon to discuss McAfee’s WWE return: “Listen, we’re going to bring you back. I know you and I are going to sit together once college football slows a little bit.”
  • Lucha Libre AAA confirmed that Natalya & Lola Vice will team up with Faby Apache for a six-woman tag match against Flammer, La Hiedra & Lady Maravilla at Guerra de Titanes on December 20.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel has surpassed 100 billion views over the course of its lifetime, making it only the 12th channel to ever do so.
  • WWE uploaded the full Je’Von Evans, Leon Slater, Joe Hendry & Myles Borne vs. DarkState main event from NXT last night, along with the complete John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar match from Wrestlepalooza.
  • Men’s Health interviewed Charlotte Flair.
  • Wren Sinclair was a guest on the Battleground podcast. 

Other Wrestling

  • The Thanksgiving night episode of AEW Collision averaged 285,000 viewers on TNT and drew a 0.06 rating in the 18-49 demo.
  • The Rizzler appeared on Hey (EW) with RJ City.
  • Here is the announced lineup for this Thursday’s episode of TNA Impact:
    • The Hardys, Steve Maclin & Cedric Alexander vs. Lexis King, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe
    • Number one contender’s match: Dani Luna vs. Xia Brookside
    • Mustafa Ali vs. Trey Miguel
    • Mike Santana vs. Robert Stone
    • First Class Penthouse segment with Leon Slater
    • Home Town Man (Cody Deaner) vs. Brooks Jensen
  • Denise Salcedo has an interview with TNA President Carlos Silva.
  • While speaking with Wrestlezone, Silva addressed how often Impact will air live in its new TV deal with AMC:
    • Probably in the first six months, I would say we’re probably going to be live a few more times than we’re usually live. We want to be live more often. There’s still some logistics and operations issues to moving the crew around and finding the right locations so many times. So, certainly, in the first six months, it’s going to be a combination of live and taped.
    • I’m a live guy, we’ve got some operational issues and workflow issues with the new network partner in AMC. We’d like to be live more often. But I think we’re going to be smart and work through this partnership in the first three months, then six months, so that we do things well, the way that we know how to do them. And then we’ll be able to pivot and do even more. I know the fans love live, I know the wrestlers love live, and I love live, but we’ve just got to be smart about it, how to do it and when to do it, so we do it well.
  • TNA Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee was a guest on Busted Open Radio today.
  • The Hardys will defend their House of Glory Tag Team titles against Zilla Fatu & Lance Anoa’i at the indie promotion’s Winter Warfare show in Queens, New York on December 19.

Nick Khan outlines plans for Zuffa Boxing, amendments to Muhammad Ali Act

Posted on by Ian Carey

Nick Khan laid out his case for amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act today on The Pat McAfee Show.

Khan appeared on the show to promote TKO’s plans for Zuffa Boxing, and the proposed amendments the company wants to add to the Ali Act, which was enacted in 2000 to protect fighters from exploitive promoters among other aims.

The amendments, introduced this summer, would allow Zuffa Boxing to create its own rankings, title fights, and divisions outside of traditional sanctioning bodies.

Khan said:

“Everything that the act already has, will stay the same,” Khan said on the show.

“If you’re a fighter and you want to continue with it, nothing changes. This is presenting an ‘or,’ a different option where if you want to come into a unified boxing organization like Zuffa, or anyone else who wants to create a unified boxing organization, come here, fight with us, we’ll have own rankings system, the champion will fight the number one contender, just like in the UFC.”

Regarding how Zuffa will rank its fighters and determine title challengers, he said they will use a system similar to The Ring Magazine, throwing in a Ric Flair reference in his description.

“We’re basing our model, in part, on The Ring’s model, the champion fights the number one contender. The lineal champion, if you will. To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man, not to make this about Ric Flair, but that’s exactly what you have to do for the Ring Championship belt. It would be the same thing in Zuffa.”

Critics of the amendments believe they gut key protections in the act, including financial transparency, which could lead to exploitation of fighters. Further concerns exist regarding reduced protection from promoter/manager overlap and that the changes give too much control to a unified boxing organization, such as Zuffa.

The California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously to support the proposed amendments in October.

Shortly after, The Association of Professional Boxing Commissions released a statement calling the amendments “an abomination.”

“This so-called Revival Act, however, is a disgrace as it will open the door for self serving ‘Unified Boxing Organizations’ (UBOs) to operate outside the current sanctioning framework, effectively allowing one corporation, in this case T.K.O. Group, to both regulate and promote under its own banner,” said said APBC President Albert Low.

Combat sports regulatory lawyer and founder of combatsportslaw.com, Erik Magraken, spoke to The Guardian about the proposed amendments in August, saying:

“It guts the key protections from the Ali Act for promoters that choose to use the ‘unified boxing organization’ model. It allows a promoter to control rank and title … and achieve a stranglehold on the sport.”

Khan’s full appearance on The Pat McAfee Show is available below:

Nick Khan: WWE believes fans will travel to Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE isn’t concerned about the logistical issues presented by bringing WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia.

Last month, it was confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 43 in 2027 with the event being held in Riyadh. It’s the first time WrestleMania will take place outside of the United States or Canada. That means an earlier start time for the two-night broadcast and a longer trip for most fans who usually travel to the show, but Nick Khan believes viewership will be strong and fans will still travel.

Khan was in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a panel at Joy Forum 2025. He spoke about the decision to take WrestleMania outside of North America for the first time.

“It was a natural next step for us,” the WWE president said. “I think at WWE, we realized a number of years ago — you can’t simply pipe American product out globally and hope to be a global product. You actually have to have boots on the ground. So if you look at what we’ve done with our Premium Live Events — formerly known as pay-per-views — over the last few years, about half of those now take place outside of the United States.

“We’re in the eighth year of a long-term partnership with Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… We’re bringing Royal Rumble here at the end of January [2026]. It’s the first time Royal Rumble, which is our second or third biggest event, will take place outside of the United States or Canada. And WrestleMania 2027, as you just mentioned, will be here in April of that year, first time ever WrestleMania, as you also said, outside of the US or Canada. We’re excited. We think viewership is going to be strong. We think people will come to the Kingdom to see our show, and we’re going to put on a spectacle.”

WWE is believed to be receiving a lucrative amount of money to hold WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia. The controversial business relationship between the promotion and the Saudi government began in 2018 and continues to expand.

When asked why Saudi Arabia specifically was chosen as the location for the first non-North American WrestleMania, Khan pointed to that strong partnership as the reason.

“So when Turki expressed interest in having it here, we got together for a couple of different meetings, worked out the deal in short order and then had the good fortune of announcing it the day before Canelo vs. Crawford, our first [boxing] fight together in Las Vegas,” Khan said.

It was noted at Joy Forum that hosting WrestleMania is something that Saudi officials first mentioned as a goal seven years ago.

TKO’s Zuffa Boxing signs TV rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paramount/Skydance is doubling down on their relationship with TKO, announcing a media rights deal with their budding Zuffa Boxing promotion.

Announced on Monday morning, it is a “long-term media rights agreement in which Paramount+ will become the exclusive home of Zuffa Boxing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.”

Unlike the UFC’s seven-year, $7+ billion contract signed in August, no financial terms were disclosed.

The promotion is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and includes UFC’s Dana White and WWE’s Nick Khan as the management team.

The deal begins in January 2026 with 12 events in the calendar year “with plans to grow that number in subsequent years.” The shows will stream on Paramount+ “with the potential for select events to be simulcast on CBS.” The wording was less definitive on the CBS front than in their UFC release.

TKO was involved in the promotion of this month’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight in Las Vegas.

Nick Khan reveals when WWE decided to enter the site fee ‘business’

Posted on by Josh Nason

Much like its corporate sibling in the UFC, WWE getting site fees and in-kind deals for bringing major events to a city has been a growing focus for both itself and parent company TKO, a topic referenced continually by TKO head Mark Shapiro.

This year alone, WWE will bring in $5 million for November’s Survivor Series in San Diego, California; $5 million in site fees & $4.2 million in tax credits for this year’s two-night WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, and $7.1 million for August’s two-night SummerSlam in New Jersey.

And then, there is the reported $100 million WWE/TKO will receive for bringing WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia in 2027, not to mention this January’s Royal Rumble.

Talking to Puck’s John Ourand as part of a bigger feature on UFC, WWE president Nick Khan revealed when that light bulb went off: when he learned UFC was getting roughly $3 million from Salt Lake City, Utah for an event.

“I looked at our current WrestleMania deal, and we were getting around $150,000 for WrestleMania, and what I call ‘posters around the city’ — otherwise known as value-in-kind. So we got an economic impact report, and got into the subsidy business,” he said.

WWE heads to Indianapolis, Indiana, this weekend for Wrestlepalooza. WWE signed a deal with the Indiana Sports Corp in June 2024, the financial terms of which have yet to be disclosed.

WOL: I guess there’s a wrestling war after all

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the second straight week, there’s an extended Sunday version of Wrestling Observer Live with Josh Nason, available below or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Josh leads off with an admission that he was wrong (I know!) about there not being a wrestling war between WWE and AEW. Given the past week of the news that WWE is planning a head-to-head PLE with All Out and John Cena’s final match opposite Worlds End in addition to TNA’s possible TV home and night, it’s more clear than ever. But why should WWE care? I discuss.

He also gives his thoughts on the UFC’s deal with Paramount and why AEW is a (temporary) winner.

He also looks ahead to next weekend’s AEW Forbidden Door card and why he is looking forward to it more than week vs. last week.

Josh also goes over some things he thinks he knows he thinks including why Ring of Honor needs a direction, Nick Khan’s hatred of out-of-office messages, Big E’s wrestling future, Karrion Kross, and how Vince McMahon will be remembered.

Click here to listen for free or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Nick Khan clarifies how many yearly WWE PLEs are in ESPN deal

Posted on by Josh Nason

In the wake of Wednesday’s announcement that ESPN will be the future home of WWE premium live events, WWE president Nick Khan clarified exactly how many shows that will entail.

Khan spoke with Puck’s John Ourand about the deal and said that while the amount of shows always could grow, the current deal is for ten annual PLEs held over 12 nights as WrestleMania and SummerSlam will remain at two nights each.

When asked about whether unique shows like Evolution will be part of that, Khan said to assume that WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Survivor Series are set and that they will continue to look at other shows, citing this month’s Clash in Paris as an example.

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Beginning in April 2026, the new deal is reportedly for five years and $1.6 billion, an increase from what WWE was getting from Peacock annually.

Khan talked about the ESPN deal in aggregate, noting that “The marketplace dictates the price on all things in my opinion. The media rights marketplace to any reasonable person looking at it, has become reflective, relatively speaking, of the U.S. economy where the upper tier products continue to go up and the premium content gets premium pricing.”

As he has done in the past, Khan said that “the middle” when it comes to TV rights are getting “squeezed a bit” and that fortunately for WWE fans, they are not in the middle.

Without saying what other entities were interested, Khan said interest in the package “was real.” He said that “timing always matters on these things” and explained how the initial Peacock PLE deal was made during the height of the pre-vaccine COVID-19 era where NBCU needed content as the Olympics were postponed.

He did not say, nor was he asked, if Peacock made a final bid or if they were given the option to do so.

Khan said the ESPN deal didn’t take as long as the newly-announced NFL/ESPN deal did as, “It was sort of clear. Here’s this subscriber base, here’s how we think we can grow it together, and this is the perfect platform for us and our subscribers.”

Khan said he had dealt with ESPN/Disney extensively in the past on potential WWE deals but that it just didn’t work for timing reasons.

“This time, it worked.”

WWE clarifies when they contacted Brock Lesnar for SummerSlam return

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Michael Cole has clarified when WWE contacted Brock Lesnar to make his return.

During Monday’s Raw, a replay was shown of Lesnar’s attack on John Cena. Cole then took time to say that WWE contacted Lesnar a few weeks ago to bring him back.

“Earlier today, I had the opportunity to sit down with WWE President Nick Khan and WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. And I asked them a simple question: ‘When was it determined that Brock Lesnar would return to WWE?'” he said. “They told me they reached out to Brock a couple of weeks ago and said, ‘We believe it’s time for you to come home.’ Brock Lesnar said ‘Let’s do it’ and here we are.”

Lesnar returned on Sunday and immediately set his sights on John Cena, who had just lost the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes in a street fight. Cena will respond to Lesnar’s attack on this Friday’s SmackDown.

Dave Meltzer reported on Monday that WWE legally cleared Brock Lesnar four weeks ago, while Bryan Alvarez reported he was listed as part of WWE’s active roster two weeks ago. He had been kept off WWE programming after he was named in Janel Grant’s lawsuit, where the former WWE employee alleged that Vince McMahon attempted to use sexual favors from her as an incentive for Lesnar to sign a new WWE contract.

WOL: WWE prepares for Saudi Arabia amid Middle East uncertainty

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Just when WWE thought everything would be clear sailing for this week’s trip to Saudi Arabia, the United States attacked several Iran-based nuclear facilities, leaving a lot of uncertainty around the world.

Josh Nason covers that topic and more on Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Live, available for free by clicking below or listening on either Spotify or Apple Podcasts, also for free.

Josh covers eleven-ish topics in less than an hour, including:

All that and more awaits. Just click here to listen or stream on Spotify/Apple Podcasts.