Major Update on Tony Khan – Shane McMahon Meeting That Led to Nowhere – This past summer, Tony Khan and Shane McMahon had a private meeting near Arlington Airport, marking their first direct conversation. While Khan had previously wanted to meet with McMahon, this was their first opportunity to discuss potential collaboration. The meeting quickly fueled speculation about McMahon’s possible involvement with AEW, but those rumors soon faded.
During an episode of Behind the Turnbuckle, Jonathan Coachman recalled how the meeting became a major talking point after a photo surfaced online. Speculation suggested McMahon was interested in joining AEW, but the discussion abruptly stopped, with no indication that any progress had been made.
Coachman further claimed that McMahon requested a significant deal, including equity in AEW and control over its entire creative direction. He noted that, for once, he found himself agreeing with Khan’s decision to walk away from the talks. According to Coachman, Khan ultimately ghosted McMahon rather than engaging in further negotiations.
“I remember that picture that surfaced with Shane McMahon meeting Tony Khan, and there was all this speculation that he wanted to come into AEW. Then, all of a sudden, that talk just disappeared.
Well, I have it on good authority that Shane McMahon asked for the world—he wanted equity in the company, and he wanted to come in and run the entire show. And honestly, it was probably the first time I said to myself, ‘I actually agree with Tony Khan ghosting him.’ Because Tony ghosted Shane—it wasn’t the other way around.”
A report from Fightful Select added further details, stating that a source close to McMahon confirmed Khan did not pursue further discussions after their meeting. While speculation suggested McMahon had asked for company equity, the source could not verify that claim but did acknowledge that McMahon wanted a leadership role.
The primary issue? McMahon lacked detailed knowledge of AEW’s business and product, making his request unrealistic. “It seemed like Khan almost thought Shane was joking when he mentioned the possibility of running everything,” the source explained.
Despite AEW’s lack of interest, McMahon reportedly did not take the rejection personally and accepted that no deal would materialize. According to the source, McMahon believes his experience in wrestling remains valuable, particularly given the long-standing desire for an alternative to Vince McMahon’s leadership.
On AEW’s side, sources indicated that Khan never publicly discussed the meeting in detail, aside from acknowledging that it happened and that no deal was in the works. “Those we’ve spoken to within AEW say that Tony Khan hadn’t spoken about it extensively outside of noting that the two sides simply met and aren’t working together.”
While an ongoing partnership appears unlikely, one possibility remains—a one-time appearance.
“The source close to McMahon that we spoke with claimed that they wouldn’t rule out a cameo appearance, but didn’t think they would extensively do business together at this stage.”
Major Update on Tony Khan – Shane McMahon Meeting That Led to Nowhere
