In a move that is surprising some in the sports media industry, Nick Khan has been hired as WWE’s new president and chief revenue officer, announced by the company Wednesday morning.

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The 45-year-old Khan was the co-head of the TV division of CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and was the driving force behind negotiating WWE’s new TV deals in 2018. He reportedly is leaving the company on good terms.

While at CAA, Khan also negotiated deals for a slew of big name sports broadcasters and talking heads in addition to organizations like Top Rank Boxing and college sports’ Southeastern Conference (SEC). 

Khan will report directly to Vince McMahon and is taking over the roles Michelle Wilson and George Barrios held before they parted ways with WWE earlier this year.

From the release, McMahon said, “Nick is a seasoned media executive with a deep understanding of our business and a proven track record of generating significant value for sports and entertainment properties. While representing WWE at CAA, he was instrumental in transforming our business model by securing domestic media rights increases of 3.6x over our previous agreements. Nick’s management style and personal demeanor are perfect for WWE’s entrepreneurial culture, and he will fit right in with our exceptional management team.”

In an interview with John Ourand of the SBJ, Khan said he started wondering if there opportunities to do something “bigger and better” with WWE while at Paul Levesque’s 50th birthday party, saying the family business-style atmosphere just felt right.

When asked about his plans given the company’s sliding TV ratings, Khan told Ourand, “We all have a lot of ideas in our head. It might be a little premature to share them in terms of when we are going to execute those.”

As of this writing, WWE stock was up slightly to $45.10.