What is Tony Khan’s net worth? AEW isn’t the only sports venture billionaire Shahid Khan’s son is affiliated with – here’s more about his fortune.
When it comes to the world of professional wrestling, most people only know of the WWE and its extended roster of superstars. But this wasn’t always the case. Back in the day, there were tons of different leagues that were mostly regional shows that dominated specific areas. It wasn’t until the McMahons created the largest organization in America that the groundwork for World Wrestling Entertainment was laid.
Now, there’s a serious competitor that’s drawing top talent: Tony Khan and the AEW.
Of course, they aren’t the first “threat” that the WWE has had to strive against in the past. The WCW at one point drew in even bigger ratings than the WWE for an extended period of time and forged a heated rivalry that had each league trying to one-up each other every couple of days on live TV broadcasts. Then there were “underground” leagues like ECW, which had its own stable of stars.
TNA IMPACT Wrestling (now Impact!) had gained some popularity for a while too but ultimately proved nowhere near the WWE’s might. Vince McMahon’s organization ultimately bought out rivals WCW and ECW, brought in some of its best stars, and even squeezed out some entertaining as-hell storylines from the purchase.
And while there are certainly other promotions out there, like New Japan Pro Wrestling, the only one right now that may pose a problem to the WWE is AEW.
Who is Tony Khan?
A lot of that has to do with the business acumen and wealth that Tony Khan, son of Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan, brings to the table. Tony is the co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and EFL Championship team Fulham F.C. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in finance but realistically learned a great deal from his father’s successful business ventures on how to make it as a top executive.
On Oct. 2, 2019, Khan dropped a bombshell on the professional wrestling world when AEW Dynamite began airing live on TNT.
The two-hour spectacle immediately drew some top talent away from the WWE, a company known for its cutthroat business practices and for fomenting a level of competition among its athletes. There are tons of superstars who were unhappy with the payment structures, storytelling, and practices in the WWE and who were more than happy to sign with the rival organization. Chief among them was Chris Jericho.
The Manhasset-born wrestler said that his decision to part ways with the company was due to a “final insult” from the promotion after he was promised by Vince McMahon that the culmination of his widely popular rivalry with Kevin Owens would be on full display at Wrestlemania, where Chris would win the title. Chris, who was with the WWE for 15 years, couldn’t believe the move that Vince pulled next.
He was then told that the main event would be Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg and that Chris and Kevin’s match would be relegated to the second match of the evening… and that the world title would no longer be on the line. Chris was frustrated and angered by the news and decided to take his mic and ring skills elsewhere. Tony Khan was more than happy to give him a home at AEW, and he is now the organization’s world champion.
Another former WWE standout, Dean Ambrose, also made the move to AEW, but he goes by Jon Moxley now. While the AEW is still relatively new, they’ve already managed to develop a strong fan base, even if they currently aren’t a threat to the WWE’s stellar RAW and SmackDown! televised events. They are, however, in direct competition with NXT, the WWE’s “developmental league” which houses standout Finn Balor.
It was a move that surprised many, especially considering Finn was fast becoming a big name in the pro-wrestling world, but the timing of the Superstar’s transition to NXT made it plain for many fans to see that the WWE was attempting to draw eyes away from AEW and onto the budding talent that they’d eventually move over to RAW and SmackDown.
Tony’s already made a pretty big splash in the pro-wrestling world, and his deep pockets, along with his know-how in managing other sports teams, could prove a huge boon to the organization. You can catch AEW Dynamite on TNT, Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET.
What is Tony Khan’s net worth?
The American businessman and sports executive is worth a fortune. Today, Tony Kahn has a net worth of $1 billion, per Successbug. His wealth is primarily from his three main ventures, Jacksonville Jaguars, Fulham F.C., and AEW. CaKnowledge estimates Tony Khan’s monthly salary at $10 million and places his yearly earnings at over $100 million.
Kahn has been blessed, considering his best resource is his father, who is a Billionaire and successful businessman in his own right. His father is Shahid Kahn, a Pakistani billionaire who is a businessman and sports tycoon. Per Forbes, Shahid Kahn has a net worth of $11.3 billion. His mother is Ann Carlson, an American who works as a social worker.
Kahn’s father purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, and the following year Kahn would step in as co-owner and Senior Vice President of Technology and Analytics. He would work there honing his skills as a V.P. and learning the ins and outs of a sports team. Five years later, he would explore another venture. He was named co-owner, and Vice Chairman of Football Operations of Fulham F.C. Khan plays a pivotal role in evaluating and recruiting players that sign with the club.
Khan is the owner and chairman of TruMedia Networks, a Boston-based engineering firm specializing in innovative sports analytics solutions for leagues, franchises, and media partners across the athletic sports industry.
AEW President Tony Khan discussed AEW’s financial state while speaking with Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He noted the company’s promotion is going to gross over $100 million in 2022. The news comes on the heels of AEW’s third-straight $1 million PPV gate.
“This is the first time there have been two wrestling companies that have the ability to be the number one show that night on cable and two wrestling companies that are grossing the kind of money…I’m not grossing a billion dollars, but I’m going to gross over $100 million this year. That’s pretty unprecedented and it’s been over 20 years since anybody is doing that. To me, success is sustaining it,” he said.
Unlike WWE, AEW is not part of a public company where they have to reveal their finances.
The news comes on the heels of Khan revealing that All Out is his third-straight PPV that has generated $1 million in live gate revenue and that he hopes this month’s Grand Slam will hit that mark.
Khan said he has had to be conservative with his spending, but that he feels the smartest way to spend his money is on talent.
Khan said when AEW launched, he had “eight figures in commitments across the roster.”
One of those conservative areas is how he has done touring, which has frustrated some on the west coast of the U.S. and overseas with a lack of shows. Khan said he plans on doing “a lot more” west coast dates in 2023.
He said the price that he paid for Ring of Honor was less than what Jim Crockett paid Bill Watts for Mid-South Wrestling which Dave Meltzer said was $4.2 million.
