Eseandre Mordi
You know what's wild? The guy running WWE today once worked as an usher at WrestleMania back in '93. Now he's closing billion-dollar deals like it's nothing. That's Nick Khan for you—a guy who literally started at the bottom and worked his way up to the very top of sports entertainment.
Khan didn't come from money or connections in the wrestling business. He's the son of Iranian immigrants who grew up in Las Vegas, worked regular jobs to pay his way through school, and somehow turned all that hustle into becoming one of the most powerful executives in entertainment. His story isn't just about wrestling—it's about how smart moves, timing, and knowing how to negotiate can completely change your life.
How the CEO of WWE Started From the Bottom
Nick Khan's first real connection to WWE happened when he was just a teenager. In 1993, he took a gig as an usher at WrestleMania IX in Las Vegas. Nothing glamorous—just showing people to their seats and making sure nobody started any real fights. But that experience stuck with him, even as he went off to chase what seemed like a more traditional path.
After high school, Khan worked as a server while grinding through law school at Whittier Law School. He'd already grabbed his bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and later studied at USC's School of Cinema-Television. His sister ended up becoming a TV producer—she created "Fresh Off the Boat" and worked on "Young Rock" with their childhood buddy Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. So yeah, entertainment was kind of in the family DNA.
Khan's first decent paychecks came from practicing law. By late 2005, he joined a firm called Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann and launched their sports and news broadcaster division. That's when things started clicking—he realized he could combine his legal skills with the entertainment world, and that combination turned out to be pretty powerful.
From Hollywood Agent to WWE President
Khan's real career breakthrough came when he joined ICM in 2006, running their Sports Media section. He was representing big-name sports broadcasters and learning how to close major deals. But the game really changed in April 2012 when he moved to Creative Artists Agency as Co-Head of Television. He brought some serious clients with him—people like Keith Olbermann, Nancy Grace, Hannah Storm, and Max Kellerman.
Here's where it gets interesting. While Khan was at CAA from 2012 to 2020, one of his clients was WWE itself. He helped them negotiate these massive TV deals with NBCUniversal and Fox that brought in $468 million every year through 2024. Vince McMahon, who was running WWE at the time, noticed that Khan wasn't just another agent—he actually understood what WWE could become.
As one of CAA's top agents, Khan was making serious money, though nobody knows the exact numbers. What we do know is that every deal he closed made his reputation bigger, and eventually, WWE decided they wanted him on their side of the table instead of across from it.
The CEO of WWE: Breaking Records and Making History
In August 2020, Khan made the jump. WWE hired him as President and Chief Revenue Officer with a $1.35 million annual salary. The timing was perfect—or maybe chaotic, depending on how you look at it. Two other top executives had just left after butting heads with Vince McMahon, and WWE needed someone who got both entertainment and complex media deals.
Khan didn't waste time. Under his watch, WWE hit record revenue and profits in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He locked down a $1 billion deal with Peacock over five years. When scandals forced Vince McMahon to step back in July 2022, Khan became Co-CEO with Stephanie McMahon. By January 2023, after Stephanie resigned, Khan was running the whole show as sole CEO.
But here's the big one—in April 2023, Khan put together WWE's merger with UFC under Endeavor Group Holdings, creating TKO Group Holdings. The whole thing was valued at $9.1 billion. After that merger, Khan became President of WWE with a board seat at TKO. His total compensation package? Over $6 million a year when you add up his base salary, bonuses, and stock grants.
Then in 2024, Khan pulled off what might be his biggest move yet—a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix for "Monday Night Raw" starting in January 2025. He also moved "SmackDown" from Fox to USA Network. Basically, he repositioned WWE from a niche wrestling company to a global entertainment brand that plays in the same league as major sports.
What the CEO of WWE Is Worth Today
So how much is Nick Khan actually worth? Estimates vary pretty widely—anywhere from $10 million to $100 million depending on who you ask, with most credible sources putting it around $30 to $100 million. That money comes from his executive pay, stock options in TKO Group Holdings, and all those years as a top Hollywood agent.
Right now, Khan's pulling in over $6 million annually from WWE when you count everything—salary, bonuses, and stock. That makes him one of the highest-paid executives in sports entertainment who doesn't actually own the company. He lives in a nice penthouse near the beach in Los Angeles, close to WWE's studios, and owns several properties around the country.
But what really sets Khan apart isn't just how much he makes—it's that he consistently delivers results that justify every dollar. Since he took over, WWE has expanded internationally like crazy. More than half of their major events now happen outside the US, in places like Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, and the UK.
How to Build Success: Lessons From WWE's Boss
Khan's pretty open about his business philosophy, and honestly, some of his ideas are refreshingly different from the usual corporate BS. Here's what he actually believes works:
- Screw up and own it. Khan straight-up admits he and Triple H make mistakes every single day. But instead of hiding from screw-ups, he owns them completely. "If there's a mistake, it's on me, not on you. If it's a win, it's on you," he told people on Stephanie McMahon's podcast. That kind of thinking lets his team take risks without being terrified of failure.
- Steal from winners, avoid losers. Khan revealed WWE's strategy is surprisingly simple—copy the NFL and do the opposite of boxing. By modeling WWE after how the NFL operates as one unified brand while avoiding boxing's messy, fragmented structure, WWE went from niche entertainment to mainstream sports brand.
- Answer your damn emails. At a CAA conference, Khan said something that raised eyebrows: "Never hire people who do out-of-office replies." He wants immediate responses, not automated messages. In fast-moving entertainment, deals can disappear in hours if you're not paying attention.
- Every day is a fresh start. "The clock strikes midnight and resets for a reason," Khan said. "No matter how good the day was, how bad the day was, it's over." This mindset helps WWE learn from failures without getting stuck in them. Each morning is a clean slate.
- Tell people the truth. Khan pushes for honest communication over fake praise. "No. 2 in our company culture, as it relates to the people who work for you, 'Hey, that's not your strength. But this is what you're great at.'" He'd rather tell someone what they actually excel at than blow smoke about things they're mediocre at.
- Even the boss needs input. Khan credits his partnership with Triple H as crucial to WWE's success. "Paul and I, we can say, 'Hey, I think I did this. What do you think?' 'I don't think that was the move. Maybe we can think of it the other way.'" Even at the top, good leaders ask for feedback and aren't too proud to change direction.
From showing people to their seats at WrestleMania to running the whole company and closing billion-dollar deals, Nick Khan's journey proves that success isn't about where you start—it's about working smart, taking risks, and being honest enough to learn from every mistake. His approach to leadership is refreshingly straightforward: own your failures, respond quickly, start fresh every day, and never stop collaborating. Not bad advice for anyone trying to make it to the top.
Eseandre Mordi
