Dave Meltzer Discusses Warner Bros. Discovery Being A Minority Owner Of AEW

Between a flurry of title changes, "Grand Slam: Australia," and the ongoing story surrounding Brody King and anti-ICE chants being heard at shows, AEW has taken up plenty of oxygen in the wrestling news cycle over the last few weeks. That continued almost by happenstance over the weekend, when a CNN article about King, AEW, and the anti-ICE chants spilled the beans regarding the true nature of AEW and Warner Brother Discover's relationship, revealing that WBD is indeed a minority owner of the wrestling promotion.

The media company's minority stake in AEW has been rumored on and off since AEW first formed in 2019, which is why Dave Meltzer revealed on "Wrestling Observer Radio" that he wasn't all that shocked to hear the news. He further stressed that WBD's ownership was so minimal that it likely had no impact on the AEW onscreen product, though Meltzer did suggest that it motivated WBD to be more invested in AEW's success than it would if they were just a television partner.

"The stuff about the ownership, I mean, I pretty much knew this in 2019, but not for sure," Meltzer said. "And Tony would never admit to it, but he would never deny it. But it's, I mean, we know from filing papers that over 90% of the company is owned by Tony, Shad Khan, and Shanna Khan, who's Tony's sister. 

"But Tony has 100% of the voting power, decision making power. But they are a minority owner, which is probably a smart thing. I think it's helped them in...there is a reason the company has, besides just television ratings, they have a reason to want them to be successful in their company."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription