AEW could receive a massive boost in negotiations with WBD, says veteran, if Tony Khan immediately signs 3-time WWE champion

AEW President Tony Khan is currently in negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery for a new media rights deal. A veteran believes that the company would receive a boost in negotiations if Khan hires a three-time WWE champion.

Shane McMahon has long been rumored to be interested in joining AEW. However, those rumors seemed to be coming true when he met up with the All Elite President in Arlington, TX, recently. Although the details of the meeting weren't disclosed, a photo of the two went viral, which confirmed the reports.

Since then, the wrestling world has remained alive with speculation of what would happen if Shane McMahon were to join All Elite Wrestling. Wrestling veteran Al Snow believes Shane joining the promotion will help boost its negotiations with WBD.

"Shane's not gonna do it for the money. He don't need money. Let's face it. But he'll do it because he wants to be Shane McMahon. He wants to have fun. He wants to go out there and wrestle. If Shane were to come on board, that would, without a question or a doubt, that would help AEW's cause to not only re-sign with Warner Discovery but re-sign at the same rate or greater because of Shane McMahon and his presence." [6:10 - 6:40]

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Michael Oku is in contact with Tony Khan ahead of AEW debut

Michael Oku is a promising British wrestler who has been turning heads on the independent scene due to his in-ring abilities. He even got the chance of a lifetime to face MJF for the AEW American Championship at RevPro Summer Sizzler 2024 but came up short.

During an interview with Stephanie Chase, Michael Oku confirmed that he had made contact with Tony Khan to discuss his future in the company.

"I’m trying to find the right way to answer this. I think that’s the most I can confirm is that there’s been contact made, which obviously makes sense. I wrestled Will [Ospreay] earlier in the year in front of Tony Khan, I got to meet Tony Khan and have a conversation with him there at the venue as it happened. This match happens with MJF, they’ve posted my promo on their channels, they’re promoting this. So, there’s been contact to allow these things to happen with AEW, so there’s been contact of what we can potentially do in the future. I’ll leave it there [laughs]," Michael Oku said. [From 13:58 to 14:44]

Oku is set to be at Dynamite and Collision on August 21st and 25th and is expected to compete on one or both shows.