AEW President Tony Khan says he has held several conversations with Skydance CEO David Ellison about the future of the promotion.
Khan spoke for approximately 40 minutes at the WrestleDream post-show press conference on Saturday, addressing AEW’s relationship with its newly restructured media partner, injuries, the women’s division, live events and other subjects.
Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month, bringing Warner Bros., Paramount and their various television and streaming assets under one corporate umbrella. AEW’s U.S. programming airs on TBS and TNT and streams on HBO Max.
Asked whether he had spoken with Ellison since the transaction, Khan said:
Yes, I’ve had a conversation with David Ellison about the future of AEW. I’ve had a few great conversations with David Ellison about AEW, and he is very excited to be partner in AEW with us.
Khan said he believed the combination of Warner Bros. and Paramount would give AEW access to “more exciting opportunities” and “more resources.”
He also pointed to Ellison’s interest in professional wrestling and their existing connection through the NFL. Khan’s family owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Paramount-owned CBS is one of the league’s broadcast partners.
“He’s somebody who’s the same age as me. He’s a wrestling fan. I think that’s really exciting for us,” Khan said.
Khan had made similar comments during the WrestleDream media call on Thursday, when he said Ellison had been “very excited and positive” about AEW.
The Skydance transaction closed on October 6, combining assets that include TBS, TNT, HBO Max, Paramount+, CBS and the Warner Bros. and Paramount movie studios.
Khan said keeping TBS, TNT, Warner Bros. and HBO Max together was particularly important to AEW.
Keeping what we have going with TBS, TNT and HBO Max, it makes a lot of sense. It was a huge step for us to add HBO Max a couple years ago, and keeping the whole company strong together, it’s a fantastic situation for us.
He also cited continued relationships with Warner Bros. executives Channing Dungey and JB Perrette as a source of continuity.
Injuries, house shows and AEW’s schedule
Khan repeatedly referenced the physical toll on AEW’s roster, saying injuries coming out of All Out forced significant changes to plans for the weeks leading into WrestleDream.
He specifically pointed to the ladder match, Chicago Street Fight and other matches on the previous pay-per-view as having affected subsequent booking.
That issue also formed part of Khan’s explanation for AEW holding relatively few non-televised live events.
The company has staged two such events in 2026: House Rules in Brisbane and Brawl in the Ballpark in Minnesota.
Khan said AEW was designed primarily as a television and pay-per-view product and argued that limiting house shows can help wrestlers remain available for the company’s higher-profile events.
There’s also something to be said with not having dozens and dozens of house shows every month so that the wrestlers can come in and deliver hard-hitting matches on pay-per-view and TV.
Khan said AEW would continue choosing its spots for live events rather than substantially expanding the schedule.
Toni Storm will return, Khan comments on Kairi
Khan also discussed the AEW women’s division, including the absence of former Women’s World Champion Toni Storm.
He stopped short of providing a date for her return but said she would be back.
I can’t say when or where, but I know Timeless Toni Storm will be back in AEW and looking to get payback for whoever it was that took her out.
Khan praised Mercedes Moné, Persephone, Britt Baker and several other members of the division, while noting that Jamie Hayter had not been cleared for WrestleDream. AEW had originally planned for Hayter & Alex Windsor to defend the Women’s World Tag Team Championship against Kris Statlander & Harley Cameron.
Khan was also asked about free agent Kairi.
She’s a fantastic wrestler,” he said. “I can’t speak to that at this time, but I am very aware and excited to see that she’s a free agent. I think that that’s very, very interesting, and I’m very intrigued by the possibility of that.
He did not indicate that talks had taken place.
Clockwork Carnage could be used for the women’s division
Khan was asked whether AEW’s Clockwork Carnage concept could eventually be used by the women’s division following its debut in Saturday’s WrestleDream main event.
“I think so. I think it would be great,” he replied.
Khan also explained some of the changes AEW made to the concept after studying an earlier version of the match involving Will Ospreay.
For WrestleDream, AEW introduced qualifying matches, prohibited outside interference and increased the interval between entrants from two minutes to three.
Khan touts AEW growth and pay-per-view business
Khan said AEW’s television viewership and pay-per-view business had continued to grow, while acknowledging that his assessment of the quality of the shows was subjective.
“What is not subjective, what’s a fact, is the viewership,” he said. “More people are watching AEW on TV this year than last year, and more people watched last year than the year before.”
He also said AEW had added a streaming audience through HBO Max and that its pay-per-view numbers were continuing to increase year over year.
Khan described the period following All Out and the death of Ben Satterley, better known as PAC, as “the most challenging time in AEW history.”
He called AEW’s subsequent tribute to Satterley “the greatest event and the most important event, and the best thing we’ve ever done in ring in AEW.”
Lio Rush and Ring of Honor
Khan closed by answering a question about Lio Rush and his recent use across AEW and Ring of Honor.
He described Rush as a “wild card” whose Blackheart character allows him to appear unpredictably across both promotions.
Khan also defended the current Ring of Honor product, saying some criticism appeared to be based on versions of the show from several years ago rather than its present programming.
He highlighted Bandido, Athena, Lee Moriarty, Místico and Máscara Dorada among the wrestlers playing significant roles in ROH.
Khan said Rush remained someone he greatly admired.
“He is somebody that has a great connection with the fans,” Khan said. “I’ve always really admired Lio as a wrestler.”
