© Joe Camporeale/Imagn
Pro Wrestling fans of a certain age will remember a time in the mid-to-late 1990s when the WWE was not considered the only major wrestling promotion in the country.
At the time, WCW, owned by billionaire TV magnate Ted Turner, had risen up as a legitimate competitor before eventually floundering and being bought by WWE (then-named the WWF) owner Vince McMahon.
Almost 20 years later, a new company, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was founded, and while it hasn’t quite reached the same height that WCW did, it has clearly established itself as a competitor to WWE. So much so, even, that when McMahon sold the WWE to the TKO Group (which also owns the UFC) in 2023, AEW owner Tony Khan attempted to purchase the company.
AEW Tony Khan Made One Of Four Bids To Buy WWE
Pro Wrestling reporter Brandon Thurston revealed Saturday morning that Khan was one of four bidders attempting to purchase the company.
Previously, it was public knowledge that Endeavor (which later merged with Zuffa to form the TKO Group), KKR, and Liberty Media had each bid as well. But there was also a fourth bidder which, until recently, remained a mystery.
NEW: Tony Khan bid on WWE in 2023.
There were 4 bidders: winner Endeavor, plus KKR and Liberty Media… Those were apparent for some time.
Newly unredacted court records show the 4th was AEW owner Tony Khan’s lesser-known entity, Base 10.
1400+ words:https://t.co/3guzRSPL6v pic.twitter.com/8xpZvM2vpa
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) March 19, 2026
Khan attempted to purchase the WWE through a company named Base 10.
“Base 10 is the owner of All Elite Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that plainly would enjoy significant synergies with WWE,” recently unredacted court documents revealed.
However, according to Thurston, Base 10’s big came in well before the other competing entities. Base 10 reportedly bid $6.9 billion, while Endeavor ultimately paid in the area of $8.5 billion.
Ultimately, we don’t know what Khan’s plans would have been had he won the bid. Would WWE disappear? Would it have marked the end of AEW? Or would he somehow operate both?
One thing is certain: had Khan won, it would have changed the landscape of professional wrestling forever.