By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the pro wresting media on Wednesday to promote Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view.
-Following a technical delay, Tony Khan opened the call and hyped the big announcement for AEW Dynamite. He said there are a lot of big things ahead for AEW and pro wrestling in general.
-The first caller asked for insight into the big announcement. Khan said he’s given hints, but he didn’t want to say more before they go live on Dynamite. He said it affects pro wrestling and will be awesome news for the wrestlers and the fans. Khan laughed while saying he was sorry to open the calls without giving the caller what he wanted.
-Brandon Thurston asked about improving their ratings with the African American television audience. Khan said he definitely pays attention to that and wants to grow the audience. He spoke about AEW being more diverse than ever while also talking about some of their signings and “the huge push that Jade Cargill is getting.”
-Dave Meltzer asked about peaking the company when it comes time for the next television contract negotiations. Khan said yes, they hope to have the company as strong as it’s been when that time comes. He pointed to their success in the ratings and believes the network is pleased.
-Jonathan Hood asked about AEW events in Canada and other western locations. Khan spoke about their recently announced dates in California. He said he definitely hopes to add more dates.
-Amy Nemmity asked if Revolution will set the tone for the year. Khan said it will. He said people have come to expect great matches from Revolution. He also spoke about being in Orlando with hardcore wrestling fans and it being a travel destination.
-Greg Oliver asked about managing a huge roster and for comments on the departure of Cody Rhodes. Khan said it’s a challenge and he thinks they have the best roster in the business. He said he’s always looking to strengthen it. He praised their partnership with their television partners leading to the addition of AEW Rampage. Khan said he was “very sad” to see Cody and Brandi Rhodes leave the company. He said he appreciates both of them for what they did when the company started and he wishes them the best.
-A write-in question focused on the Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa match for the AEW Women’s Championship. Khan spoke about his excitement for the match and the history.
-Mike Johnson asked about the possibility of a streaming partner. Khan said he’s been asked about it several times today and in the past week. He said it’s something they are looking to do and he can’t say much about it now. He touted their relationship with WarnerMedia, and said there would be great opportunities to work with them. He said it would be good for the fans, particularly younger fans who tend to rely heavily on streaming.
-The next caller asked whether some of the songs from the new AEW album will be used as entrance themes. Khan said he was leaving that up to the wrestlers. He said some wrestlers have wanted to use those songs, while others have not. Khan said they experimented with using the Powerhouse Hobbs’ song from the album at the AEW Dark taping. Hobbs said he liked the song, but he preferred to go with his regular entrance music. Khan said Scorpio Sky has expressed interest in using his album song. Khan said it doesn’t make sense to have the wrestlers walk out to music they are no comfortable with.
-A write-in question asked how difficult it is to manage the roster with the limited amount of time they have each week. Khan recalled touching on it earlier and once again spoke about the addition of AEW Rampage to their television lineup.
-Stephanie Chase asked about putting the match order for AEW Revolution, specifically mentioning the AEW World Championship match and the CM Punk vs. MJF dog collar match. Khan said its always challenging and this time might be the most challenging yet. Khan said he expects it to be a great show. He said he always puts a lot of thought into the match order. He feels Revolution is “as deep and strong of a wrestling card as we’ve put together.”
-Nick Hausman asked Jeff Hardy coming to AEW and whether it is a foregone conclusion. Khan said no one should consider it a foregone conclusion. He said he likes Jeff a lot, but Jeff is obligated to another company for several more days. He said he would like to talk to him once he’s free.
-I asked Khan if Cody Rhodes had a renewal option in his deal similar to the Young Bucks. Khan didn’t want to get into specifics, but he said he didn’t want to keep anyone in AEW who didn’t want to be there. He said he thought they would get a long term deal done, but it didn’t happen. Khan said he has said nothing but respectful stuff about Cody and he will continue to.
-There was a write-in question about the AEW concert that is being held on Saturday in Orlando. Khan praised Mikey Rukus and said it’s a chance for fans to see him perform these songs live. He also spoke about working with RJ City.
-Sean Ross Sapp asked about the possibility of introducing trios titles. Khan said he would be more open to the idea of doing it once Kenny Omega returns.
-Shakiel Mahjouri asked about MJF’s promo. Khan spoke about working with extraordinary people in sports. He praised MJF as one of those extraordinary people.
-Will Washington asked about an AEW Women’s Championship headlining a pay-per-view. Khan spoke about women’s matches that have headlined television shows, but he said Baker vs. Rosa will not be closing the show.
-Jon Alba asked about Khan’s interest in Cesaro now that he’s a free agent. Khan said he likes him a lot. He said he met Claudio Castagnoli years ago and he was a real gentleman. Khan praised his athletic ability and said he has very few peers in the power department and also spoke about his mental acumen for putting great matches together.
-A write-in question sought updates on the AEW video game. Khan said he had none aside from that they are working on it every day. He also spoke about capturing crowd chants for the game. He said it’s been a major investment and he thinks it will pay off in a major way due to all of the interest.
-Izzy asked about the difficulty of doing a pay-per-view without Cody Rhodes. Khan said he didn’t feel any added pressure because he’s done events without Cody in the past.
-Bill Pritchard brought up Khan’s recent praise of Orange Cassidy, and signing Danhausen. Khan said they are very different wrestlers. He said they both have a lot of fans, including kids who love them. Khan said that’s part of the reason he thinks they are good together, but he feels there are a lot of differences between the two and they complement one another well. Khan also pointed to Cassidy matches drawing big ratings, and spoke about the popularity of Danhausen. Khan said he cares about good wrestling and said Cassidy can go.
-Narrator Jim Woodcock wrapped up the call. Khan jumped in and thanked the callers.
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