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A company backed by AEW owner Tony Khan placed a bid to purchase WWE in 2023

Aaron Rift

A company called Base 10, backed by AEW owner Tony Khan, placed a bid to purchase WWE in 2023. This revelation came 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 (which ultimately won and formed TKO), 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 lawsuit claims the sale process was unfair and alleges that Vince McMahon favored Endeavor because its CEO, Ari Emanuel, supported McMahon staying with the company which is an accusation the defendants deny.

Although Tony Khan is not named directly, the documents link Base 10 to AEW, noting the potential business synergy between AEW and WWE. However, technically AEW and Base 10 are separate entities under the Khan family. Khan declined to comment on the matter.

It was also noted that Base 10’s offer was the lowest by a wide margin, coming in at $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. In contrast, Endeavor’s winning bid was an all-stock transaction valued at $95.66 per share before synergies.

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