Nick Khan

Nick Khan
Born
Nicholas Khan

Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
EducationWhittier Law School (JD)[1]
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (BA)[1]
Occupations
  • Business executive
  • talent agent
  • lawyer
Years active1993–present
TitlePresident of WWE Former Co-CEO of WWE
RelativesNahnatchka Khan (sister)

Nicholas Khan[2] is an American business executive and former talent agent. He serves as the President of WWE and sits on TKO's board of directors.

Early life

Khan was born to Iranian-immigrant parents who moved to the United States. He was born and raised in Las Vegas with his sister, Nahnatchka Khan.[3][4][5]

Personal life

He cites The Iron Sheik as his favorite wrestler.[4] He worked as an usher at WrestleMania IX in 1993.[6]

In 2000, Khan appeared as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.[7] He won $16,650 and used the prize money to attend Whittier Law School, going on to pass the bar examination and work as a lawyer for seven years.[8]

Khan is not related to All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan.[9]

ICM and CAA (2006–2020)

At the end of 2005, Khan joined Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann, where he launched their sports and news broadcaster division. He remained with them through their merger with ICM. In April 2012, Deadline exclusively announced Khan was looking to move to CAA, where he would bring his clients, including Keith Olbermann, Nancy Grace, Hannah Storm, John Anderson, Jim Lampley, Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, and Freddie Roach.[10]

In 2012, he joined the Creative Artists Agency, where he served as Co-Head of their TV department.[11] While there, he represented high-profile clients including sports television hosts Colin Cowherd and Mike Greenberg.[12] In 2013, while representing Tim Tebow after his release from the New England Patriots, Khan received an unsolicited call from Paul "Triple H" Levesque, inquiring about the possibility of booking Tebow to work a match at the following year's WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view event against The Big Show. While the plans never progressed, this marked the first time that the two had spoken, and they remained in contact.[6] In 2019, he negotiated WWE's television rights deal with NBCUniversal.[12]

WWE (2020–present)

In August 2020, it was announced that Khan would step down from his role as Co-Head of Television at CAA, where he would report to Vince McMahon, to take on a new role as President and Chief Revenue Officer of WWE, following the departures of Co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson.[13]

On June 15, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that McMahon was the subject of an ongoing investigation into a $3 million hush-money settlement.[14] McMahon announced his retirement one month later on July 20, 2022, which saw Khan and chairwoman Stephanie McMahon both appointed as Co-CEOs.[15] In January 2023, one week after McMahon announced he was returning as chairman, Stephanie resigned from the position, leaving Khan as the sole Chief Executive Officer.[16]

On April 3, 2023, WWE reached a deal with Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. to merge with UFC's parent company, Zuffa, to create a new media conglomerate known as TKO Group Holdings.[17] The merger was completed on September 12, 2023, when Endeavor, UFC, and WWE staff rang the bell on the NYSE to mark the debut of TKO's shares. In the merger, Khan was re-appointed as WWE President, with a seat on TKO's board of directors.[18]

Awards and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b "Nicholas Khan". Martindale.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Nicholas Khan #211628". State Bar of California. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 21, 2021). "WWE's Nick Khan on Roman Reigns Vs. John Cena at SummerSlam: 'Your Villain Is Only as Good as Your Hero'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Hill, Adam (June 19, 2021). "WWE president Nick Khan bringing SummerSlam to his hometown". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 16, 2021). "'Young Rock' Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan on Working With Dwayne Johnson to Tell His Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (January 24, 2024). "Nick Khan's First Contact With WWE Was Triple H Reaching Out In 2013 To Book Tim Tebow". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Rose, Bryan (January 23, 2024). "Daily Update: WWE Raw to Netflix, AAA reveals Triplemania dates". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Madkour, Abraham D. (August 15, 2016). "Cleaning the desk while wondering where summer of '16 has gone". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Van Horn, Shawn. "The Feud Between AEW's Tony Khan & WWE Executive Nick Khan, Explained". TheSportster.com.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 26, 2012). "ICM TV Agent Nick Khan Headed To CAA". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Steinberg, Brian (August 5, 2020). "Sports-Talent Powerhouse Nick Khan Jumps to WWE From CAA". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Flint, Joe (August 5, 2020). "Nick Khan Leaves Creative Artist Agency to Join World Wrestling Entertainment". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 5, 2020). "Nick Khan Leaving CAA To Become WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Palazzolo, Joe; Mann, Ted (June 22, 2022). "WWE Board Probes Secret $3 Million Hush Pact by CEO Vince McMahon, Sources Say". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Mangan, Dan (July 22, 2022). "Vince McMahon retires as WWE chief amid probes into alleged misconduct of pro wrestling boss". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Coppinger, Mike (January 11, 2023). "Stephanie McMahon resigns from WWE; Nick Khan now sole CEO". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ Szalai, Georg; Vlessing, Etan (April 3, 2023). "Endeavor's UFC, WWE to Merge; Ari Emanuel to Serve as CEO, Vince McMahon as Executive Chair". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 12, 2023). "WWE, UFC Officially Merge to Form TKO Group, New Stock to Start Trading". Variety. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Nick Khan - Variety500". Variety. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  20. ^ Meltzer, Dave. "February 26, 2024 Observer Newsletter: 2023 Observer Awards issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 23, 2024.