Tony Khan’s Bid For WWE in 2023 | Pollock & Thurston
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Tony Khan's WWE bid
Base 10, a company that is backed by one Anthony Khan... it was Base 10 that placed a bid on WWE three years ago. Base 10 is the owner of All Elite Wrestling.
Base 10, Tony Khan offered $76.83 per share, whereas the others were offering between $80 and $100. There's almost $7 billion that he was offering, whereas the others were offering between $8 and $9 billion.
This would be the most sensational of outcomes but also one that would probably be the worst outcome for just the health of the industry itself... one company overseeing essentially the entire market in the United States.
WWE executive compensation
Nick Khan got a bonus related to completing this merger that was much higher than what their advisement firm had recommended... Nick Khan being recommended to get something like a $6 million bonus, he ends up getting something like a $15 million bonus.
WWE sale process
There's no information in WWE's regulatory filings or material related to the merger shareholder lawsuit to indicate Tony Khan or any Base 10 representative had access to that data room.
WWE Saudi Arabia events
The next return to Saudi Arabia is technically still internally listed for the end of June... but the ongoing war in the region is making any kind of events happening over in the Middle East become very tenuous.
Sports media ethics
It's not so much looking at how WWE is framed in these stories. It's more so what are the stories they're not reporting on? What are the stories that maybe in a prior incarnation they would have been on top of?
AEW business practices
In AEW venue contracts, they have a confidentiality clause that says do not turn over those turnstile counts... they help us claim that this is a trade secret.
WWE media partnerships
WWE and Front Office Sports announced a new content partnership that will bring audiences closer to key WWE moments and tentpole events through access-driven behind-the-scenes content.
WrestleMania ticket sales
WrestleMania Saturday is going for $210 for the cheapest ticket on the secondary market, $202 for WrestleMania Sunday. They are still about 11 to 12% off last year's pace for WrestleMania when it comes to tickets distributed.
