-- AEW President Tony Khan participated in a media call ahead of this Saturday's All Out PPV and below are the highlights:
Recap by: prowrestling.net
-Tony Khan opened the call by saying that All Out should be a great event. He said it’s a great tradition to hold the show in Chicago. Khan said it had been a long night because he was trying to keep Hangman Page out of jail. He said
-Khan was asked if he will consider moving All Out to a later date due to the Grand Slam Australia show being held around the same time next year. Khan said it’s too soon to say what the future of Grand Slam New York and Grand Slam Australia are. Khan seemed uncertain about how the Australian show will be distributed.
-He was asked if Sting’s return at All In a one-off or has he re-upped with the company for a non-wrestling role. Khan said Sting is still a huge part of the AEW family, but his in-ring career is over. Khan said Sting brings so much positivity. Khan said they want to see him whenever it’s possible. Khan said Sting visited one of the shows in Arlington, but they kept it quiet due to his surprise appearance in London.
-Khan was asked about the possibility of a women’s Casino Gauntlet match at All Out or in the future. Khan spoke favorably about the match concept that he created. He said he would love to bring the match to Chicago at some time and has thought about having a women’s Casino Gauntlet match in the future. Khan indicated that there won’t be a Casino Gauntlet match at All Out.
-Khan was asked about the media rights deal and whether it could lead to premium live events as opposed to pay-per-view events. Khan said they are still working on the deal and said there have been productive conversations. Khan said there’s a great desire to keep AEW with Warner Bros. Discovery and said it’s a mutual feeling. Khan said there is excitement on both sides. Khan said there have been talks about streaming. Khan sang the praises of the Max streaming service. Khan said it’s going to work out really well for AEW and its fans.
-Khan was asked if there’s any big things he wants to work on as the head of AEW. Khan said he cherishes every day the company has Bryan Danielson as the AEW World Champion. Khan said they will have eight champions battling in the all-star eight-man tag match on AEW Collision. Khan said they have a great group of champions presently. He also said there are great things happening in the women’s division.
-Khan was asked about the health status of Powerhouse Hobbs. Khan said Hobbs was injured in April. He said they hope he will be back soon, but he thinks he still needs more recovery time. Khan said they look forward to having him back and he is in their plans. Khan said Hobbs has visited backstage a couple of times lately. Khan said it’s a good thing that he’s coming in for checkups and is making good progress.
-A write-in question asked which match has the potential to be the sleeper or the show stealer at All Out. Khan said it’s a loaded question because every match looks great. Khan said the Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland match certainly isn’t a sleeper. Khan said all of the matches seem awesome and have had a lot of buildup to them. Khan said this could be one of the company’s best shows. He said it’s been an awesome year for pay-per-views. He said Revolution and All In were at the top of the list, and All Out has what it takes to be the very best. He said it will also have the Chicago fans, which he considers to be one of the best natural resources.
-Khan was asked how we got from Hangman Page donating money to teachers on behalf of the company to burning down Swerve Strickland’s childhood home. Khan spoke about how he will now think of Swerve when he thinks of Page and will think of Page when he thinks of Swerve. Khan said the rivalry will live on forever in the memories of AEW fans. Khan said he is proud of the feud, then spoke in storyline mode about making it an unsanctioned match. Khan said Page burning down the house was a signature wrestling moment. Khan said it wouldn’t stand in a normal office, but it’s what makes pro wrestling the greatest sport of all. Khan said it lit a fire in the hearts of wrestling fans to see their cage match.
-He was asked about MJF defending the company in an interview and stating that they are setting themselves up to be the second most profitable pro wrestling company in history. He was asked if that’s viable in 2025. Khan said he think it’s reasonable. He said there are still a lot of things to work out, but the die is cast to make AEW the second most profitable company in history. Khan said it’s a great time. Khan conceded that he doesn’t know how much money WCW made in 1998 or how much Jim Crockett Jr. made, but he believes they will be the second most profitable company in pro wrestling history. Khan emphasized that it’s only the begging. He said it’s been a long journey, but it’s early in a long journey. Khan used a golf analogy to say that they are still on the front nine. Khan was again said that the media rights deal is still in the red zone and “is right there to be pushed in.” Khan said it will be a huge touchdown for AEW. Khan said MJF is very intelligent about the pro wrestling industry and is an astute historian.
-The subject of Jon Moxley’s promo in which he said the company is no longer yours. The caller asked about AEW’s relationship with GCW. Khan said he likes Josh Barnett a lot. He said Bloodsport is interesting and he likes and respects Barnett. Khan said he would go out of his way to help out Bloodsport. The caller asked about Moxley’s cryptic words and what they meant to Khan, who said you have to watch the show weekly to find out. Khan labeled Moxley one of the founding fathers of AEW and a trailblazer of pro wrestling.
-Khan was asked about the house burning angle and how online fans suspected it would happen. Khan said the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from fans who thought it was a great conclusion to the show. Khan said people saw it coming and yet were still blown away by it. Khan spoke about the way people consume wrestling has changed. He said the fans following things online and reading the news is a big percentage of the audience. Khan said it’s a boom time in wrestling and a golden age for the sport. Khan said AEW is a huge part of the wrestling conversation, which he said is an awesome thing. Khan spoke of the avidity of pro wrestling fans. He said he was rocked by some of the statistics he’s received during the media rights negotiations. Khan said it’s great if people are looking for spoilers and inside news. He said it’s important to take care of the fans who take care of them. Khan listed an “insane stat” regarding the sporting leagues. Khan said the league whose fans spend the most money on streaming video is AEW. Khan said he looks at the AEW fan avidity as a positive thing for AEW.
-Khan was asked if he’s interested in having a WrestleMania tentpole style event for AEW. Khan said All In has been the biggest event in many ways, but they have great events that have had moments that have been indelible and unique to those shows. Khan pointed to Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole arriving at the end of the same pay-per-view three years ago this week. Khan said Danielson is wrestling without a contract. Khan said they are fortunate to have him as a locker room leader and as AEW World Champion. Khan said Danielson will always have a home in AEW. Khan spoke about other big moments at various pay-per-view events. Khan touted AEW fan avidity again and said they have the best fans in the world.
-The final caller asked for an update on Mark Davis and whether he and Kyle Fletcher will reform Aussie Open. Khan said Davis had surgery and is in recovery. Khan said he can’t wait to get him back and he loves Aussie Open as a tag team, but he acknowledged that Fletcher has taken “a great journey” and is on an amazing run of having great matches. Khan said it’s been unfortunate to have Davis out and he looks forward to him returning, but Fletcher has stepped up and his star is rising. He said it remains to be seen regarding their future as singles wrestlers or together.
-Khan closed out “fan avidity” edition of the AEW media call by touting Saturday’s All Out event. Khan noted that he would be taking a redeye flight to make it to the Jacksonville Jaguars opener in Miami. He also spoke about “the three-hour Collision” on Friday night. He also mentioned All Out taking place on Saturday and not trying to compete with the NFL, and noted that there will be a scrum after All Out.
Recap by: pwinsider.com
*Khan said it's "been a long night trying to keep Hangman out of jail," which was obviously storyline.
*The steel cage match will be a non-sanctioned Lights Out Match on PPV.
*Khan was asked if All Out next year will be moved since Grand Slam Australia will be a PPV. Khan said they will have a great crowd and an awesome night this Saturday. They are excited to go back to Arthur Ashe and have had great success in NYC. He believes they'll see big pickup for NYC after this weekend. They will have to think about the domestic distribution here in the States for a show in Australia. He talked up the NYC show and teased there could be Grandslam from both locations next year.
*He was asked about Sting's status. He's retired undefeated in AEW as a World Champion and is done as a wrestler in the ring but he has Sting as a close friend as does Darby. He's still part of the AEW family. To have Sting around, everyone is very blessed and they all want to see him anytime it's possible. They didn't want to ruin the surprise of All In: London but he had been backstage in Texas during their residency in Dallas. He hopes Sting remains them for the long-term.
*Khan was asked about the Casino Gauntlet Match at London and whether we could see a women's version in the future. Khan said it would be great to advertise and build something up in the future. He created the Casino Gauntlet match and it's something that has been well received.
*Khan was asked about the current status of the company's media rights. He said it's a real exciting time and they are having great conversations. Some reports have been accurate about the status of the deal between WBD-AEW being productive and they are still in discussions. He said he feels fortunate that TBS and TNTs still have a great appetite towards keeping AEW. He said they are the best media partner you can have. TBS and TNT give immediate credibility. There's a history that goes back to the early 1970s. They are still in the process - a long, tedious process - of an agreement. To do an agreement for all the events and things they are working on is a really big deal. There are some great things to come and there's excitement on each side and jt's great to have that sort of mutual collaboration. There's been a lot of really good conversations about streaming. Obviously, they own and operate MAX. He said "this is going to work out really well for AEW and their fans."
*Khan was asked what he learned about himself over the last five years. He said he cherishes every day and wakes up happy every day. He cherishes having Bryan Danielson as champion and talked up the eight man tag on Collision. He talked up Sasha vs. Shida. He said it's a great company and it's always changing. He's proud of the moment Bryan Danielson had at Wembley Stadium.
*Will Hobbs is making good progress towards recovering and returning to the ring.
*Khan is very happy about everything they've announced thus far for All Out. He ran through the lineup.
*On the Swerve-Hangman storyline, Khan said he has huge respect for each of them and what they brought to AEW as Champions. They've become iconic rivals. "As a company we cannot be held responsible" for this match Khan said, hyping the PPV. He said that burning down the house was a great wrestling moment and if they were any other world, this couldn't stand, but in this sport, it can happen and it's why he loves pro wrestling. It needs to be settled in the ring and in this case, in the cage without any rules or sanctioning bodies.
*Khan said it is reasonable to be the second most profitable company of all time. He said over the duration of the deal they are about to enter into it, he expects they will but this is also early in their long journey and they are building to the future. The deal is in the red zone and is right there to be pushed in. They are going to put the ball in the end zone and it's going to be a huge touchdown.
*Khan was asked about Jon Moxley's new direction and what the relationship is with GCW and Josh Barnett's Bloodsport. Khan said he doesn't know the GCW people as much but put over his relationship with Josh and how he is respected. He would go out of his way to help Josh and those guys. On Moxley, Khan said it's something to keep an eye on and watch on AEW programming. Having Moxley back, however this plays out, is good for the fans and company. he is eternally grateful for Moxley, no matter how any of this turns out.
*Khan was asked to do a deep dive into the Swerve-Hangman storyline last night. He said those following online are far greater than when he was young and it was more of a niche thing. He thinks watching fandom change, even within AEW, blew his mind. He said even if fans are looking for spoilers or the future, they have to take care of them. He said that of all the sports leagues in the world, the league who's fans spend the most per month on streaming video is AEW. They are ahead of every other sporting league in the world.
*On whether he hopes one major show will be their Wrestlemania, Khan said he feels they have had all these great events. He mentions All In, but there are many indelible moments on all these events, such as Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson's debut at All Out a few years back. He talked up a lot of major events and moments they have had in the past.
*Khan stated Danielson is wrestling without a contract right now. When he is ready to retire, Khan said he is ready for him to always have a home in AEW.
*Mark Davis has been injured. They can't wait to have him back when he recovers.
