Tony Khan, Shane McMahon Partnership Risk Worth the Benefit of His Experience

Tony Khan is one of the more polarizing figures in wrestling depending on how you perceive what he’s done with AEW. However, a unifying, sobering reality that has to be acknowledged is that wrestling itself is holistically more healthy with AEW in the North American wrestling scene than had it never existed.

That being said, it has plenty of room to grow. The question is how does the company get there.

Shane McMahon, outside of his familial connections to the business,  is someone ingrained in wrestling pop culture over the last 20-odd years for his on-off work in WWE as an executive and wrestler.

This conversation between Khan and McMahon may be nothing. This might be a big deal. This could also quite literally eclipse the CM Punk signing in hindsight as the worst thing the company ever does. Yet, playing devil’s advocate in this it’s difficult not to consider the possibilities of Shane joining AEW in any capacity and what that might mean heading into the future.

Fightful (and posted here) reports that the private meeting took place Monday afternoon at an airport in Arlington, Texas, where they “discussed possibilities moving forward.” This could mean anything and while there’s no sense in recklessly speculating exactly what was said, there’s some value in considering the implications of Shane joining the company in front of the camera or behind the scenes.

Foremost, if there is common ground to meet on that brings McMahon into the AEW fold it will probably happen. For better and worse, Khan has never shied away from making big moves. Looking at Shane with objectivity, there are positives to any association with AEW.

Firstly, I think if we’re just talking licensing deals, broadcast deals, or anything of the like, his name adds value to the brand during negotiations. In addition, his knowledge just of the wrestling business as a business would almost be invaluable as the company grows and expands over the next several years. His wealth of knowledge alone is worth its weight. As a person behind the camera, it’s arguably foolish to not tap into that.

Conversely, what AEW does not need is Shane McMahon the wrestling character and past-his-prime jersey-clad daredevil. For as much as Shane could add to the company from a professional perspective, I feel like he would undoubtedly harm the on-screen product similarly to how at times it felt like the company orbited CM Punk. And where Punk had the aura and history to embody what we thought AEW represented at its core, Shane does not have that equity as a wrestling personality outside the WWE sphere and it would arguably challenge any of TNA’s worst booking decisions circa 2010. In terms of an on-screen personality, I’m not sure Shane is a good fit for the company, much less a sensible one.

But will it happen if anything comes to fruition? Yeah, probably. In the end, we’re talking two guys with egos who will do what they want to do.

Behind the Scenes

Should Shane join AEW, in the ring we know what we’re getting and at age 54 it’s a matter of diminishing returns. However, as a professional who has been in or around wrestling his entire life, that’s where his value is.

If you look at his resume, we’re talking about someone who helped launch wwf.com in the late ’90s. We’re talking someone who worked on commentary, has worked on creative (for better and worse), and in 2006 alongside then-WWE Canada President Carl DeMarco helped finalize a major TV deal in Brazil to bring Raw and Smackdown to the country. He did that again two years later in helping expand the company’s broadcast footprint into Mexico resulting in bringing Raw and Smackdown to Mexico as well. One of the more notable positions he held was Executive Vice President of Global Media.

Another little known deal he was working on prior to then-UFC owner Zuffa purchasing Japan-based Pride FC in 2006-07 would have seen WWE expand into promoting MMA.

These are the types of roles he excelled in prior to resigning from his EVP position in 2009. Beyond the wrestling sphere he’s dabbled into on-demand video streaming and sports management; most notably he currently serves as chairman of a U.S.-based company called Ideanomics which focuses on the expansion and adoption of electric commercial vehicles and sustainable energy.

Summarily, his track record indicates he has always kept his eye on the horizon in the interest of expanding opportunities, and arguably in unconventional senses. Now, can that benefit AEW in the wrestling space? Yes. That’s just where this all becomes rather tricky because I don’t believe any one can accurately guess what a Shane McMahon-AEW partnership looks like. But if we’re looking at his impacts in the past, and look at where AEW needs to grow, AEW bringing him on board could prove beneficial as they expand outside North America and the U.K.

What also can’t be overlooked is his reasoning for leaving WWE back in 2009.

Years later it came out that he left because he saw the writing on the wall and that Stephanie and HHH were going to be the heirs to Vince once he left the business behind. As a consequence he felt his ideas were overlooked, and his vision for WWE disregarded. In that sense, perhaps he’d have something he wants to prove to himself.

As for how realistic this all is, that’s unclear. Fightful reported that McMahon released a statement through Bully Ray via Busted Open Radio Thursday night where he detailed their meeting. He said:

“Tony and I were connected through a mutual friend and we had a great meeting. We talked about many things, but mostly about our shared love for the business and the rewards and challenges of working with family. I congratulated him on the five year anniversary of AEW and look forward to how he evolves the business moving forward.”

The ramifications of such a move would be a big deal in the wrestling space, and to be fair from his statement it sounds like nothing is imminent. Yet, Shane McMahon potentially joining AEW would prospectively help take the company where AEW needs to go with respect to expansion. The risk of him being on-screen is worth the dividends his business experience would bring to the table especially as AEW has new broadcast deals to sign. That potential dynamic of the story is the x-factor, much less him in a ring. I think that’s where the focus needs to be–how Shane could help fuel expansion.