AEW President Tony Khan held a media conference call ahead of this weekend's Double or Nothing PPV. Below are the highlights from Jason Powell & www.prowrestling.net:
-Tony Khan said it’s been six years since the first AEW show, and he’s very excited for Double or Nothing weekend.
-Khan was asked about going with Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page as the Double or Nothing main event over the Anarchy in the Arena match. Khan said he’s excited about both matches.
-He was then asked about the Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter match. Khan said Mone and Hayter are two of the best wrestlers in the company. He said the title picture is very interesting right now. Khan said Hayter has overcome a lot to get in this position, and he feels she is capable of being a top star, a great champion, and a great leader in AEW.
-Khan was asked Khan about what I see as a recent improvement of the Dynamite show and what’s factored into that. Khan said there are fewer voices involved, and he’s really tightened it up. He spoke about the simulcasting on Max being a new start. Khan said that they have grown their cable audience in quarter one despite the addition of Max, and they are doing well in quarter two. He spoke about some of the smaller venues they’ve run and said he’s excited to go to the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. He said they’ve also had shows in massive venues with huge audiences. He said he thinks Collision is also having a good year, and the data is positive. Khan also stated his belief that AEW has the best wrestlers.
-The next question asked about pay-per-view distribution. Khan spoke about partnering with Amazon. He noted that Max is available for purchase on Amazon Prime. He also talked about his love of HBO shows, and Max being rebranded as HBO Max soon.
-Khan was asked what makes AEW a destination for young talent. Khan said he feels the company is a great destination for young wrestlers. He enjoys working with young talent, and the AEW veterans also like working with them. Khan mentioned not having Jay White available. He said he wished he were available because he’s come through routinely. He said Knight took advantage of White missing a scheduled match due to injury. Khan noted that Knight is working in New Japan Pro Wrestling currently. He said Knight is an example of the young wrestlers they want to recruit.
-He was asked about Willow Nightingale and Marina Shafir being in the Anarchy in the Arena match. Khan spoke about it making sense and how he expects them to be a big part of the match.
-A caller brought up the AEW Grand Slam: Mexico event. Khan spoke favorably about working with CMLL and playing Arena Mexico. He also spoke about the tribute show they are doing for the late Dean Rasmussen of Death Valley Driver Video Review.
-Khan was asked if there are any looming international television deals, and whether Khan is frustrated by the lack of data regarding the under-50 audience. Khan said they are looking at some new international deals, but none are far enough along that he’s ready to comment. Khan said he doesn’t get the same robust data from streaming that he gets when shows air on TBS or TNT. Khan said it’s exciting that they are one of the top sports shows on Max. Khan said that while he doesn’t have that streaming data, he knows that WBD is very happy, which makes him very happy. He said that Fox Sports Mexico has been a great international partner.
-Next question asked about the death of Sabu and whether the Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet stretcher match is a tribute. Khan said Sabu fascinated him when he was a kid, and recalled interacting with others about him in wrestling chat rooms. Khan also told the story of his father bringing him to ECW Arena after he passed a test to get into a prestigious school. Khan said that the main event of the weekend was the Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu stretcher match. Khan said he has had the pleasure of working with Rob and Sabu, and he really liked both men. Khan said Sabu was fascinating and captivating, and larger than life to fans in the ECW Arena. Khan spoke about returning to ECW Arena (2300 Arena) for an upcoming residency and said that it will be the first time he’s been in the venue since he was 13. Khan said they were already going to do the stretcher match at DON before Sabu’s passing, but that’s probably inspired by seeing the RVD vs. Sabu version of a stretcher match. Khan expressed his condolences to Sabu’s family and recalled Sabu saying very nice things about him. He said it’s a big loss for wrestling.
-Another question asked was if there’s an update on Max hosting AEW pay-per-view events. Khan spoke about the various ways to watch AEW pay-per-views. He said they are always very focused on their partnership with WBD. He said WBD is still building the platform to host AEW pay-per-view events on Max. Khan also noted that the countdown to AEW DON will air tonight after Collision. He touted the work the production team does with the pay-per-view countdown specials. Khan said there hasn’t been a delay in Max hosting pay-per-views. He said it will be a big part of their business plan once it happens.
-Khan asked about AEW adding women’s tag team titles. He said it’s something he would like to do and is a goal for him. He said there are a number of great tandems and alliances, and they’ve had some great tag team matches in the women’s division. Khan said he’s also trying to rebuild the men’s tag division after enduring some injuries. Khan didn’t put a timeline on introducing women’s tag titles, but he said it’s “very realistic at some point.”
-A caller congratulated Khan on six years of AEW and asked if he could even fathom the growth of the company when it first launched. Khan said it’s amazing. He said he’s happy that the perception from the fans and the vibe around AEW is positive. He said he feels they have the same spirit they had when they were a brand-new company. Khan said the fans are really feeling it. He pointed to television viewership numbers. He said it’s a great time to be an AEW fan and an AEW wrestler.
-He was asked about Will Ospreay and Hangman Page. Khan praised both men and expects a great match. He said he thinks fans are even more excited about the match after their segment on Dynamite. Khan said he doesn’t think they could have picked a better main event for the seventh DON event.
-There was a write-in question about Darby Allin scaling Mount Everest and whether he’ll get a title shot. Khan said he’s proud of Allin for accomplishing that feat. Khan said Allin became the first pro wrestler and one of the first pro athletes to climb Mount Everest. Khan hopes that Allin will get down the mountain safely. Khan said that they’ll be excited to have Allin back whenever he’s ready. Khan said he’s one of the company’s top stars.
-Khan wrapped up the call by talking about DON and tonight’s AEW Collision. He said he is looking forward to the FTR vs. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia contract signing and the actual match. Khan said there will be a media scrum after the event on Sunday night. Khan also noted that it was good to have Jim (Woodcock) back as the moderator, and then Jim closed the call.
