WWE Rumors: Saudi Arabia Has 'Definite Interest' in Buying Vince McMahon's Company

As rumors of a WWE sale continue to swirl, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund remains a viable option to buy the company from Vince McMahon.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of ThirstyforNews.com), there is "definite interest" from Saudi Arabia in purchasing the promotion.

Vince McMahon returned to the WWE board of directors earlier this year after announcing his retirement in July amid sexual misconduct allegations.

Per Joe Palazzolo, Ted Mann and Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal, McMahon paid out more than $12 million during a 16-year period to four different women all formerly affiliated with WWE to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct.

McMahon was unanimously elected executive chairman of the board on Jan. 10. CNBC's Alex Sherman reported on Jan. 7 that McMahon's return was done to "facilitate potential sale talks ahead of the company's media rights renewal" and the company retained JP Morgan to advise in its search for a potential buyer.

Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg reported last week that McMahon is seeking $9 billion in a sale, with Endeavor Group Holdings and Saudi Arabia cited as potential buyers.

Endeavor is the parent company of UFC after buying a majority stake in the mixed martial arts promotion in 2016. It bought the remaining stake in the promotion in March 2021.

Meltzer noted WWE would prefer being sold to a media company, but indications right now are most of those companies aren't "looking for that level of a purchase because of uncertainty over the future changes in consumption."

WWE has had a relationship with Saudi Arabia since 2018 when it held the Greatest Royal Rumble premium live event in the country. The two parties expanded their partnership the following year to include two premium live events in Saudi Arabia through 2027.

Human rights groups have said Saudi Arabia's increased profile in the sports world is an attempt to sportswash its way to a better reputation. The Saudi Public Investment Fund announced a $2 billion investment in LIV Golf in May 2022 for ongoing expansion and prize money.

In January, Giles Turner, Dinesh Nair and Matthew Martin of Bloomberg reported Saudi Arabia tried to purchase Formula 1 from Liberty Media for more than $20 billion.

A potential WWE sale to Saudi Arabia would make the company private for the first time in 24 years. McMahon took the company public in October 1999 and is the majority shareholder.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.