By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the pro wresting media on Thursday, May 26 to promote Sunday’s AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
-Tony Khan checked in and spoke about how AEW is available in 130 countries and the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view is available all around the world.
-Kenny McIntosh asked about MJF’s value and his feud with Wardlow. Khan spoke about real life conflict making for compelling television.
-Jon Alba asked about Warner Bros. Discovery and what type of assurances they’ve given regarding AEW programming, and how he would like to see AEW featured across their platforms. Khan said they’ve received great feedback and he believes there will be a great relationship between the two companies. Khan spoke about the “awesome party” that WBD is throwing for AEW in Los Angeles after Dynamite next week. Khan said there are other shows that haven’t received that type of reception and in some cases they are no longer on the network.
-Connor Casey noted that it had been roughly nine months since CM Punk arrived in AEW. He asked if Khan was tempted to move Punk into the AEW World Championship picture sooner. Khan said no. He said he felt it would make sense if Punk entered AEW and faced top wrestlers and work his way to the top. Khan praised Punk for putting the work in both in and out of the ring.
-Khan was asked how he feels the Double Or Nothing event will compare to past AEW pay-per-view events. Khan spoke about how AEW has grown every year in both live attendance and pay-per-view buys.
-Nigel Chambers asked about Chicago hosting the Forbidden Door event and what that means for All Out being held in the same venue. Khan noted that the Forbidden Door will be held at the United Center, but he said it doesn’t mean that All Out won’t be held in Chicago this year or in future years.
-Stephanie Chase asked about the Owen Hart Cup tournament and having Martha Hart present at Dynamite recently. Khan spoke about his admiration of Hart and said he doesn’t think he’s been celebrated enough in pro wrestling due to the circumstances in which he died. Khan said he believes Owen loved the wrestling business, but he loved his family first and foremost. He said it meant the world to him that Martha and her children had a great time when they attended Dynamite. Khan said Martha will be back at Double Or Nothing and he’s hopeful that she will address the fans. Khan said he looks forward to bringing it back and doing the tournaments annually with Martha and her family.
-Craig Smith asked about the possibility of doing a one-night tournament, perhaps as a pay-per-view. Khan said he has considered it. He said he also tries to be sensitive to the wrestlers and their health. Khan spoke about Owen Hart winning the King of the Ring tournament and Bret Hart working three great matches the year before. Khan said he likes to have the matches staggered so that the wrestlers aren’t saving everything for the main event. He also said he believes the risk of injury is higher with a one-night tournament.
-Sean Radican asked what Khan can do to tweak Dynamite to help grow the audience. Khan spoke about treating the wrestlers well and having young wrestlers want to sign up and improve, and continue to recruit via free agency.
-Marc Raimondi asked about CM Punk wanting to work with younger talent and potentially becoming the AEW World Champion and whether that could coexist. Khan said the younger wrestlers who have worked with Punk have come out of it better and learned. Khan said Punk continues to surprise and amaze him. He spoke about the attention Punk has brought the company and how it puts more money in the wallets of others. He said Punk is someone who will mentor other wrestlers and watch matches with them. Khan said Punk has been a great mentor to a lot of men and women in the AEW locker room, and he’s also done a lot for the veteran wrestlers.
-Brandon Thurston asked about ROH being acquired through a separate company in his name rather than via AEW. Khan said he jumped on the deal. He said the price and opportunity were right. He said he was looking out for AEW, and he feels that it makes sense for ROH to be its own brand and stand on its own feet. He said ROH Supercard of Honor didn’t feel like a developmental show. Khan said it was the biggest ROH show in years and said the final numbers will likely show that the show drew twenty times more than a typical ROH event. Khan said he wants AEW and ROH to work together, but he intends to operate them separately.
-Samantha Schipman asked whether AEW’s women and DDT Pro’s women will have matches together due to the working relationship between the two companies. Khan said they’ve had great wrestlers come in through DDT and hopes to continue having more wrestlers come from DDT.
-Mike Johnson asked about Hangman Page treating CM Punk like an interloper during their verbal exchange on Wednesday’s Dynamite. Khan said they want to get in the ring and fight. He said they are not friends and want to fight each other. He said he thinks it makes sense that Page would feel that way. He said Page wasn’t amused by Punk’s match with John Silver or his use of the Buckshot Lariat. Khan said Page earned his position, and if you’re someone who helped build the company from the ground up, you might take exception like Page is.
-TK Trinidad asked about women’s title matches headlining events. Khan pointed to some examples where that has happened. Khan said that if they get to a point where he feels that a women’s match is the biggest match on a show like he feels Page vs. Punk is, that would be great.
-Chris Mueller asked about wrestlers expressing themselves regarding social issues. Khan said he wants the wrestlers to be able to speak their minds. He said there’s a lot of authenticity on AEW television regarding who the wrestlers are. He mentioned Jim Ross’s comments regarding the Texas school shootings. He said it means a lot to the talents.
-Sean Ross Sapp asked what the winners of the Owen Hart Cup tournament will receive. Khan said people would find out on Sunday during Double Or Nothing. He said he thinks people are looking forward to the unveiling. Khan said it’s something very nice and they have shown it to Martha and her family and have their approval. Khan promised it will be cool.
-Khan was asked when AEW will expand to international touring, specifically Canada. Khan said he would love to bring AEW to Canada. He said they’ve been back on tour for less than a year after being shut down during the pandemic. He said they are servicing markets in the United States that they originally planned to visit in 2020. He said he didn’t want to give a date, but he is looking forward to bringing AEW to Canada soon. He touted the television partnership with TSN, the Canadian media, and some of the Canadian wrestlers in AEW. He recalled attending WrestleMania in Canada, and said his father owns the Four Seasons hotel in Toronto. Khan said he thinks it would be great to debut in Toronto due to his family’s business ventures in the city.
-Khan was asked about the possibility of signing John Hennigan full-time after he worked as Johnny Elite last week. Khan said he brought him in with the idea that he wanted to bring him back in the future. He said he’s even more interested in having him back after the great debut that he had with Samoa Joe.
-Nick Hausman asked when fans can expect some news regarding Ring of Honor. Khan said they are still working on that. Khan said he looks forward to talking with Warner Bros. Discovery in Los Angeles about ROH and other matters. Khan said he would love to get ROH a weekly television or streaming series, and would like to bring ROH back to pay-per-view.
-AJ Awesome asked women’s tag titles or women’s trios titles. Khan said he has thought about it. He spoke of expanding the roster and getting some injured talent back, and potentially doing that in the future. Khan said he thinks fans want the AEW Trios Titles, and he would like to add more titles as they go if it makes sense to do so. Khan closed out the call shortly thereafter.
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