Nick Khan: Last News

WWE has completed the majority of its investigation into alleged misconduct by ex-CEO and chairman Vince McMahon.

UFC and WWE parent TKO Group has, as promised, jumped into boxing, inking a partnership with Saudi Arabia. The deal with HE (His Excellency) Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and Sela, the Saudi national entertainment and events conglomerate, will establish a new boxing promotion that will provide a platform for leading boxers and prospects in the sport.

Executives from WWE and Netflix teamed up to reveal their plans for the upcoming debut of Raw with the media on Tuesday as the series prepares to pivot from linear to streaming on January 6 live from Los Angeles.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Don’t expect to see a rawer “Raw” as the flagship WWE series moves to Netflix next month. That was the message Tuesday from WWE president/chief revenue officer Nick Khan and chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who told reporters that “WWE Monday Night Raw” would maintain a “TV-PG” content rating in its new home. “It’s a safe place for families, for kids, for everybody, to be able to view the programming,” Levesque said.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ari Emanuel, in his capacity as CEO of TKO Group Holdings — the parent company of UFC and WWE — had a compensation package last year that hit nearly $65 million. TKO granted Emanuel, who also is CEO of Endeavor, a base salary of $911,538, plus a $24 million cash bonus and stock awards worth $40 million in 2023, per a regulatory filing by TKO. All told, the exec’s pay package totaled $64.91 million.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Vince McMahon has resigned from his position as the executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., the company formed by Endeavor that merged WWE and the UFC. “I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors,” WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan said in an email to staff seen by Variety. “He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.” McMahon’s ouster comes after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against him, the company, and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE has hired Lee Fitting as the company’s new head of media and production, Variety has learned. The hiring comes just after the departure of Kevin Dunn, the longtime WWE head of production. Dunn had been with WWE for over four decades before his exit was announced in late December.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE‘s weekly NXT show is heading to The CW. NXT, which serves as a showcase for WWE’s developmental talent, currently airs on USA Network but will move to CW in October 2024 in a new five-year deal. NXT will air weekly throughout the year on CW, marking the first time the show has aired on broadcast television since it launched its weekly format in 2012.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE’s “SmackDown” is officially set to return to USA Network in a new five-year rights deal. The weekly show currently airs on Fox but will move to its new network home in October 2024 when the Fox deal expires. “Smackdown” originally began airing on Fox in 2019 as part of a five-year deal between the network and WWE.

A major WWE show is moving to a new network.

WWE CEO Nick Khan said Wednesday the company isn’t imapcted by the WGA strike that started yesterday.

J. Kim Murphy World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE) is nearing a deal to be acquired by Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. Bloomberg was first to report on the ongoing acquisition deal. The report states that “no final decision has been made” and that negotiations could potentially fall through. The talks coincide as WrestleMania 39, one of the organization’s premier annual events, continues to unfold. The two-day pay-per-view and streaming extravaganza concludes Sunday evening, with more than 80,000 fans in attendance in Los Angeles. The WWE has been actively exploring an acquisition deal for some time now. Vince McMahon, the longtime public face and majority owner of the professional wrestling organization, returned to the company as executive chairman in January. McMahon had exited his WWE leadership role last year amid investigations into sexual misconduct allegations, leaving his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, to take on offices as chairman and co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, who previously served as the company’s president.

WWE CEO Nick Khan said an exploration of strategic alternatives is in early stages but well underway and the company will “consider a broad range of possibilities.”

World Wrestling Entertainment co-CEO Nick Khan said a special committee of independent directors looking into alleged misconduct by its former chief Vince McMahon has completed its mission and been disbanded.

Vince McMahon, the longtime CEO and chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, announced today he’s retiring from the company at age 77. He had temporarily stepped away from running the company amid a scandal.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVince McMahon is retiring from WWE.“As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE,” McMahon said in a statement released by the sports entertainment company. “Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you.

WWE said its decision a year ago to shift its streaming setup from its own stand-alone service to a marquee spot on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, has dramatically boosted its audience.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSummerSlam 2021 is set to feature a major confrontation between top WWE superstars Roman Reigns and John Cena.Reigns has earned considerable praise of late since turning heel (becoming a bad guy in pro wrestling parlance), while Cena remains one of the top babyfaces (good guys) of all time.“As you know, your villain is only as good as your hero, and your hero is only as good as your villain,” WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan told Variety. “So with Roman being on such a tear and being such a monster heel, it only made sense for one of our greatest faces of all time to come back.

EXCLUSIVE: Not a happy day in Stamford, Connecticut today as WWE had a round of layoffs that impact its film, TV and social media divisions in Connecticut and Los Angeles. Trying to find out the exact number, but WWE Studios saw layoffs in the feature, TV, and its digital/social media division Advanced Media Group. All of these operations will be consolidated into a single division, with a smaller staff running those operations. We’ve heard the cuts were deep. The news was conveyed today by phone by president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan, who left his post as co-head of the CAA television department last summer to take the job. He was the agent for the WWE before he took the job.