A company backed by Tony Khan were one of four outfits in the race to buy WWE in 2023, with Endeavor ultimately winning out.
After the $9.3 billion deal, Endeavour would form TKO as a property to house both UFC and WWE.
A company called Base 10, backed by AEW owner Tony Khan, placed a bid. This information came to light from newly unredacted court filings tied to an ongoing shareholder lawsuit over WWE’s sale that were obtained by PostWrestling.com.
The filings confirm that multiple groups pursued WWE, including Endeavor, Liberty Media, KKR, and Base 10. While other bidders were previously reported, this is the first time Khan’s involvement has been made public.
The basis of the lawsuit comes from the other companies believing it was an unfair courting process as Vince McMahon always favoured Endeavor because its CEO, Ari Emanuel, supported McMahon staying with the company.
Ultimately, that didn’t work out for McMahon and he had to retire off the back of his sex trafficking allegations, but it is being argued it helped him pick Endeavour for the sale originally.
Technically, AEW and Base 10 are separate entities under the Khan family’s portfolio. AEW boss Khan declined to comment on the matter.
While it’s remarkable that Khan made a play for WWE, it is worth noting that his company’s offer was the lowest by a wide margin.
They offered $76.83 per share. KKR submitted a bid ranging from $90 to $97.50, while Liberty offered between $95 and $100 which were both structured as cash deals for WWE shareholders.
Endeavor’s winning bid was an all-stock transaction valued at $95.66 per share.
