AEW News

Tony Khan Had Discussions To Buy TNA At One Point, Why The Deal Didn’t Happen

Tony Khan AEW Article Pic WrestleFeed App

Below are a couple of top TNA, AEW & WWE news stories of the day.

• WWE and TNA Wrestling’s newly announced multi-year partnership has opened doors to groundbreaking cross-promotional opportunities.

The partnership, revealed last week, emphasizes talent exposure and development, stating, “The agreement will enable talent to garner additional exposure across key WWE and TNA programming, including weekly flagship shows such as NXT – which airs live on The CW – and TNA iMPACT!, select WWE Premium Live Events and TNA pay-per-views, in turn bolstering their in-ring development with exposure to world-class talent and coaching.”

AEW previously had a working relationship with TNA during the COVID-19 pandemic, with stars like Kenny Omega appearing on iMPACT and TNA talent featured on AEW programming. AEW CEO Tony Khan also made pre-taped appearances on TNA programming.

According to the Wrestling Observer, “TNA did attempt to sell to Tony Khan in 2018 and had talks [in 2024] with Scott D’Amore about selling but turned D’Amore’s offer price down.”

D’Amore also tried to purchase TNA after learning of his planned departure, as the company was set to take a new direction.

New Video: Angelina Love (former TNA Knockout) Shows Her Buns (Part 2):

• The recent multi-year partnership between WWE and TNA Wrestling has sparked speculation about WWE potentially acquiring TNA in the future. The partnership, formalized on January 16, involves talent sharing across both promotions, with NXT and TNA stars appearing on each other’s platforms, including TNA iMPACT, WWE NXT, TNA pay-per-views, and WWE premium live events.

However, insiders have raised doubts about the longevity of this collaboration. Some believe that WWE may ultimately buy TNA, while others foresee the partnership collapsing, as WWE’s collaborations with other companies have historically ended poorly.

The Wrestling Observer noted the following:

“I know people who are close to the situation think it will end up with WWE owning them. Others think it’s going to be a disaster because it always is at the end. Every company WWE works with always ends up worse off.”

One of the key factors behind WWE’s decision to work with TNA is not just talent sharing, but the strategic importance of preventing AEW from securing crucial international TV deals.

WWE aims to secure TNA’s presence on TV outlets, such as in India, to block AEW from expanding its reach in these markets. Given WWE’s existing agreements with international streaming platforms like Netflix, they are unable to place content on certain TV stations, thus ensuring AEW doesn’t capitalize on these opportunities.


        
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