Back in the summer of 2024, reports surfaced that AEW President Tony Khan held a private meeting with Shane McMahon, with a photo of the two together leaking online, sparking widespread speculation.
On his podcast, former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman shared alleged details about the meeting, claiming that Shane requested equity in AEW and expressed interest in running the entire company. However, Coachman also claimed that Khan ultimately “ghosted” McMahon following the discussion.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, a source close to Shane confirmed that Khan never followed up after their initial conversation. While the source couldn’t confirm whether Shane actually asked for equity, they noted that he seemed interested in taking a leadership role—despite reportedly having little knowledge of AEW’s product or business structure.
Additionally, the source stated that Shane didn’t take the lack of response personally, and there’s speculation that Khan may have believed McMahon was joking about the proposal.
Regardless of the intent behind the meeting, it’s clear that the idea of Shane McMahon jumping to AEW—let alone running it—was short-lived.
Sources near Shane McMahon spoke with https://t.co/jy8u4a7WDa and wouldn't confirm Shane wanted equity in the AEW, but did admit that Shane was hoping to run a lot of things without having much product knowledge.
Tony Khan passed on the overture.
More details for subscribers. pic.twitter.com/ItWvkUZ36X
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) February 20, 2025
