People at AEW are firing back at the report made by an entertainment website earlier today stating that Tony Khan was disappointed at the initial offer made to him by Warner Bros Discovery.
According to AEW sources close to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Khan was not upset by WBD's first offer, but negotiations are still ongoing between the two parties. The report regarding Khan's supposed mentality on the matter came from Matthew Belloni of The Puck, who noted that WBD's exclusivity window with AEW is closing in July. He also added that Khan and Warner Bros are "playing nice" with one another as negotiations continue.
Meltzer added into his report that Belloni previously had WWE CEO Nick Khan on his podcast and that the two are supposedly longtime friends.
There is concern that WBD CEO David Zaslav may bungle the AEW deal for WBD as the executive has been heavily criticized for likely losing the rights deal for the NBA.
Just last month, Zaslav sent a memo to Warner Bros Discovery executives to look for cost-cutting measures after ending 2023 in debt. However, there could be some great viability in locking AEW in a new deal considering that live television is a hot commodity during this always changing era of the streaming service.
On the latest media call with Tony Khan ahead of Double or Nothing, the AEW President expressed a desire to ink a new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, but there might be a high-demand for the AEW package in the open market.
