Tony Khan spoke with the media before AEW Full Gear this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Earlier this week, Khan spent over an hour speaking with Ariel Helwani, and the interview was mentioned multiple times, including some follow-ups on topics discussed during the conversation.
Highlights from the call:
- AEW has a great deal with WBD, but cannot control what is out there regarding a potential sale. Tony Khan emphasized how grateful they were to WBD and David Zaslav with optimism toward the future. He feels “incredibly positive” about the future of AEW.
- Khan said that DC was possibly its most significant sponsor ever, which has the title sponsorship for Full Gear
- The AEW National Champion will defend the title at Final Battle, with Khan noting that an AEW champion has never defended their belt in Ring of Honor
- He enjoys the connection with members of the media throughout AEW’s existence. He said there’s a range of skill sets regardless of the size of one’s outlet. He said there are a lot of savvy people working in the wrestling media space. He credited AEW’s media reps for expanding its coverage and making people want to cover them.
- Khan mentioned taking feedback from fans when it’s 80-90% positive and trying to learn from the 10% that is not satisfied with something
- When they had the technical issues on Honor Club and put Death Before Dishonor on its YouTube channel for free, it allowed the show to be seen by more people, and the same with ROH’s Global Wars show. It might be something he tries again because of the success of those shows and reaching a larger audience.
- Kazuchika Okada being named the final opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20 worked on both AEW and NJPW’s calendars. Khan and Tanahashi met about this, they were excited about the possibility, as was Okada. He said it’s “a well-deserved tribute” for Tanahashi and noted the success of the ticket sales for January 4.
- On the increasing number of titles in AEW/ROH, he said they produce a lot of shows and multiple hours of weekly television. He didn’t make any changes to the men’s titles in ROH and has only added women’s belts in the promotion. AEW has changed with the addition of Collision, and their television deal with WBD is the lifeblood of the company. They have also expanded the monthly pay-per-views as a reason for more championships compared to the early years of the company.
- He said the women “knocked it out of the park” in Blood and Guts last week and “the network was so happy” while also avoiding any significant injuries. The participants worked very hard on the match and put over the men’s match.
- Khan was excited to have Keith Elliot Greenberg write “This Book is All Elite,” but has not finished the book yet.
- Wrestle Dynasty is a concept they are open to holding again with New Japan, but it is not scheduled for January.
- Khan said they will announce the participants of the Continental Classic early next week and didn’t announce before Full Gear because of potential injuries that could occur and affect the field. He promises a great tournament and will evaluate the health of the performers after Full Gear and make sure the participants can finish the Continental Classic.
- He ended the call by promoting the start of the tournament next Wednesday on Dynamite in Nashville and Collision airing the next night on Thanksgiving.
