Report: Nick Khan Meets With Disney CEO & ESPN President

Amidst WWE looking to sell the company, a report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio has claimed that WWE CEO Nick Khan met with Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger and ESPN President James Pitaro on Monday, January 9 at the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Meltzer also mentioned the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund are one of several organisations interested in purchasing WWE but no deal has been completed as of yet.

Meltzer said:

"They're not sold. Saudi Arabia is in the hunt. They're one of the companies that's looking for it. The names that are out there are all in the hunt. Nick Khan was in Los Angeles when I was in Los Angeles. [He] went to the football game Monday night, so he wasn't at Raw and met with heavy hitters because they went to the College Football Championship game. Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, so I guess those names will ring some bells. They're looking to sell by the middle of the year, JPMorgan is helping them. Saudi is the only one of the key people as far as if they want to go private. The rest are public companies...There'll be a decision made at some point. There is definitely smoke to the Saudi Arabia story but it's too early for a deal to be finalised."

WWE began to pursue a sale after Vince McMahon's return on January 5, in which the 77-year-old elected himself, Michelle Wilson, and George Barrios to the Board of Directors. Vince has since been elected Executive Chairman and Stephanie McMahon has resigned from WWE.

Reports in the early hours of January 11 claimed that an agreement in principle had been reached for WWE to be sold to the Saudi Arabia PIF. Reports emerged later that day denying that was the case, however.

The Walt Disney Company have been tipped as a potential bidder for WWE. Disney owns 80% of ESPN, the sports network in the United States.