UPDATED: Several Reports Deny Rumors of WWE Sale To Saudi Investment Fund

UPDATE: Another report, this one by Yahoo! Finance and Brian Sozzi, is also reporting that WWE has not been sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund or another entity yet after previous reports indicated that a sale to the group was imminent. The Yahoo! report also noted the dip in WWE’s stock price following the reports of PIF buying the company.

ORIGINAL: As previously reported, there are rumors circulating that WWE has been sold to the Saudi Investment Fund and would become a private company again. While reputable sources said the story was out there (but maintained it wasn’t confirmed), more sources have suggested the WWE has not been sold at this time.

Ariel Helwani wrote that there is currently no deal in place and WWE is still “exploring all options.” Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston spoke with a WWE source who denied the story and said it was “untrue”, while Jon Alba said he heard similar reports as Helwani. He added that a high-ranking WWE source told them it was ‘completely false’.

Obviously at this time, and we cannot stress this enough nothing is known for sure. Alba noted that it is unlikely a wrestling reporter would break the news on something like this, as this type of acquisition would be reported by something like the Wall Street Journal. The tweet from DAZN’s Steven Muehlhausen confirming the deal last night has since been deleted.

Contrary to reports stating otherwise last night, there is no deal in place at this precise moment for WWE to be sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund or any entity, sources say.

The organization is still exploring all options, I’m told. Developing.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 11, 2023

Worth noting that the original tweet stating it was a done deal has since been deleted.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 11, 2023

What happened @SMuehlhausenJr to your WWE breaking news?

We're hearing your now deleted tweet below is 100% false – unfortunately the fake news already went viral pic.twitter.com/EDtgaChk0E

— Rich Greenfield, LightShed 🔦 (@RichLightShed) January 11, 2023

I concur with @RichLightShed. I asked someone at WWE, who would know, who said the story that took hold of Twitter last night, about WWE and Saudi Arabia being near a deal to take the company private, is untrue.

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) January 11, 2023

There is also another element of this in play:

This sort of news is not typically leaked to wrestling reporters. These are the type of acquisitions that go to mainstream publications first (see the Wall Street Journal getting all the Vince scoops).

Would be interesting.

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) January 11, 2023

That's not to say, of course, a wrestling reporter can't break this news.

Just not typically the workflow for this sort of story.

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) January 11, 2023

Exactly the same as what I’ve been told. https://t.co/MeoTBLcLzl

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) January 11, 2023

Well, finally got something much more firm.

A high-ranking #WWE source with knowledge of the situation tells me reports of a sale or agreement to sell at this moment are “completely false.”

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) January 11, 2023

Still have not been able to get official comment from WWE on the record at this moment in time, but have inquired through multiple channels.

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) January 11, 2023