An article from Sports Illustrated looks at the career of WWE President Nick Khan, profiling his rise within the company.
Featuring an interview with former ESPN President John Skipper, the article notes the meeting between the two that helped Kirk Herbstreit stay in that company prior to Khan joining the company as President and Chief Revenue Officer after a similar meeting with Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Vince McMahon.
Khan currently sits on the Board of Directors of TKO Group, the new parent company of WWE formed from a merger with UFC last year.
On the renewed focus on international growth under Khan’s direction, the report states:
Unlike the tried-and-true approach from McMahon, which saw WWE intermittently tour throughout Europe, the Khan approach is to bring events that matter to international markets. After going to Montreal (Elimination Chamber), Puerto Rico (Backlash), London (Money in the Bank), and Saudi Arabia (Night of Champions, Crown Jewel) in 2023, this year will include stops in France (Backlash), back to Jeddah (King and Queen of the Ring), Glasgow (Clash at the Castle), Toronto (Money in the Bank), and Berlin (Bash in Berlin), and this is after already traveling in February to Perth (Elimination Chamber). The strategy also creates more demand in the United States, which further grows WWE’s media rights fees.