World Wrestling Entertainment Owner Vince McMahon "has been linked with a shock move" to take full ownership of EPL side Newcastle United in "what would be one of the biggest shocks to world football ever seen," according to the London INDEPENDENT. Citing a story on the British website www.winnersports.co.uk, McMahon is "interested in purchasing the club" from current Owner Mike Ashley, and a bid "could materialise in the not too distant future with the Londoner reportedly keen to sell the Magpies." But "does that mean we’ll be seeing a Geordie edition of the showcase event Wrestlemania anytime soon?" We "very well could be." The website quoted a Newcastle insider as saying, “Vince McMahon has been sniffing around the club and seems keen on pursuing his interest. He sees England as an untapped market for his wrestling empire. He has even indicated he could put on wrestling bouts at St. James’s Park" (INDEPENDENT, 2/18). In London, Colin Young reported it is "not the first time the American billionaire has been linked with a takeover of the Tyneside club." Two years ago, his name "surfaced as a potential buyer from Ashley, who has long been the subject of a hate campaign by Newcastle supporters unhappy with the direction he has taken the club" (DAILY MAIL, 2/18). A source close to WWE said on Tuesday that there was "no truth" to the reports (SBD Global).
