AEW President Tony Khan spoke with Ariel Helwani in an in-depth interview where Helwani asked him about WWE's strategy of employing counter-programming against his shows:
"I do think it’s done on purpose and I understand it and it’s part of wrestling and I think we’ve seen a lot of it but I think other wrestling promotions that have been the challenger wrestling brand in our lifetime have seen a lot of it. Jim Crockett Promotions, which was the forerunner to WCW, saw a lot of this. I do think that we’ve seen that kind of counter programming and those things and I understand and looking back at wrestling history, kind of expect that."
He was asked if WWE's tactics frustrate him:
"I think it’s okay because for us it’s always worked out and we’re in a great position. It hasn’t ever been a thing where it’s cost us anything. And even when you do something like AEW All In Texas where we do the show in the afternoon, it really worked out for us great and it was one of the best days in the history of the company so."
"It’s something that is a part of the wrestling business and I definitely don’t take it personally. I think it’s no more personal to me than it was towards Jim Crockett or even maybe less so than it was with Ted Turner, or similar amounts as with Ted Turner. But definitely I think all of us have seen that kind of counter programming and could speak to that. And certainly with AEW, I’m very proud that we continue to really run strong and be that great challenger brand in pro wrestling."
