Nick Khan Questioned Vince McMahon About If He Actually Wanted To Sell WWE

It was announced back on April 3 that WWE had agreed a deal to be sold to Endeavor and the pro wrestling company is set to merge with UFC later this year under the TKO Group Holdings banner. 

The sale came after Vince McMahon forced his way back into WWE in January 2023 and was elected Executive Chairman by a restructured WWE Board of Directors. McMahon had been out of WWE since July 2022 due to a sexual misconduct and hush money scandal and there was speculation after the 77-year-old's return that he was only looking to sell WWE so he could secure his own future with the organisation. 

Even Nick Khan seemingly had his doubts about McMahon's intentions and the WWE CEO revealed he questioned his boss about a sale following his return. 

"Can't discuss that. Kidding. Can discuss that, don't worry (Khan said when asked what drove WWE to the agreement with Endeavor/merger with UFC). There's a couple things on it. When he (Vince McMahon) came back, again, the term was 'first strategic alternatives' and he and I had a private conversation which he's certainly comfortable with me sharing today where I said, 'Hey, just tell me is this real because there's some scuttlebutt out there that maybe this is just your way to come back into your company,' which again, he would have the right to do also and he said, 'No, I'm committed to it. I give you my word,'" Khan revealed during MoffettNathanson’s Inaugural Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference.

"Raine (Group) was the lead banker on the transaction. Vince said, 'I wanna make sure WWE has a strong banker on it.' That's gonna be management's decision and then the Board of course would need to have some sort of representation as well so he gave me his word that he was serious about the process. Lo and behold, he was serious about the process and the deal was finalised April 1st and announced the morning of April 3rd before the market opened."

While he may have been serious about a sale, McMahon was able to secure his WWE future through the Endeavor deal and he will serve as the Executive Chairman of TKO Group Holdings. McMahon staying with WWE ended up being integral to the final deal as it secured WWE a better split of the merged company. 

H/T to POST Wrestling