By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the pro wresting media on Thursday, April 3, 2025 to promote Sunday’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
-Tony Khan started by talking about his excitement for AEW Dynasty.
-Jon Alba asked about an online report regarding Max streaming numbers being roughly 500,000 per week and whether Khan could comment on the validity of it. Khan said he was excited about the report. He said they are doing very good numbers from everything he’s been told, but he noted that they are very confidential and he hasn’t been getting weekly reports. He siad he doesn’t know the reports every week, but he knows they are one of the top streaming sports shows on Max.
-Courtney Rice asked about the women’s matches at Dynasty. Khan spoke about Toni Storm vs. Megan Bayne for the AEW Women’s Championship. He said it would be a true monster movie to see their leading lady against someone who has been a monster so far. Khan also spoke about the first-round Owen Hart Cup tournament match featuring Mercedes Mone vs. Julia Hart. He also plugged the women’s tag team match for Collision.
-Alex Hunt asked about Lex Luger wanting Sting at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and whether Khan would allow it. Khan said he’s not sure. He said he’s focused on Dynasty. He said the subject didn’t come up the last time he spoke with Sting.
-Dominic DeAngelo asked about the spike bat spot involving Jon Moxley. Khan said Moxley vs. Adam Copeland was a great match and a big success for the company. Khan said the video has been watched millions of times across multiple platforms. Khan said it was a hardcore wrestling moment. He said it was a risk that Moxley and Copeland took during the match and it really paid off. Khan said Moxley was able to return to the ring last night and will do so again at Dynasty.
-Andrew Baydala asked if they will continue to lean into violence. Khan said he feels AEW has featured the best hardcore matches over the last six years and will continue to do so. He said AEW fans love it and he grew up watching that kind of hardcore wrestling.
-Jim Varsallone asked about transitioning from three TV shows to two. He said he thinks the way they have structured their media rights agreement has worked well. He said the deal includes a lot of incremental revenue that has helped them grow their business.
-Arunava Ghoshal asked if Khan is interested in booking intendergender matches. Khan said they’ve had great mixed tag matches over the years when they’ve made sense for the story. He said he wanted to do the mixed tornado tag on Dynamite to give fans a different spin.
-Samantha Shipman asked if women main eventing Dynamite and Collision lately is part of a bigger strategy and whether it will happen more often. Khan sang the praises of the women’s matches.
-Bill Pritchard asked whether the Chris Jericho vs. Bandido match will be on Dynasty. Khan said Jericho made the challenge for a title vs. match mask, but they’ve never officially announced the match. He said there’s another show remaining with Collision and he hopes to hear Bandido’s response when the time is right.
-Ella Jay asked if Athena will be featured on AEW television more going forward. Khan said he’s excited to see how the tournament plays out.
-I asked about the possibility of AEW Collision moving to Thursdays once Warner Bros. Discovery’s deal with the NBA expires. Khan spoke about how great the show has been doing on Saturdays. He spoke about the big numbers they’ve produced when they have followed big sporting events. He said the network is giving them great opportunities on Saturdays as well as through streaming. He said they have great momentum on Saturday, but he would be open to anything within reason that the network asks him to do. He said he can’t say what the future holds, but if they thinks something makes sense then he’s always up to work with the network on anything. Khan said he’s very grateful for WBD’s support.
-Eli Phipps asked about the possibility of having first-run content on Amazon now that AEW pay-per-views are available on the streaming service. Khan said they are really focused on their partnership with WBD, but he spoke glowingly about having Amazon as a pay-per-view partner. Khan said their first call will always be to WBD and its CEO David Zaslav when it comes to new opportunities. He said there is a possibility to add new content, but that would start with WBD discussions.
-Sean Ross Sapp asked how Khan reacts to things getting negative reactions, including online negativity regarding the Death Riders, and when it is time to pivot. Khan said fan feedback is very important. He said the most consistent feedback they get is hearing directly from fans as well as via the television ratings. He said there are a number of ways to track engagement. He said there are good opinions and also polarized opinions. Khan said they track the popularity and engagement of the wrestlers and they are not always correlated. He said the feedback has been positive this year and people seem to feel good about the AEW television product. He said he thinks the feeling about the product may be the best it has been in years. Khan spoke about the importance of Kenny Omega’s return.
-Bill Bodkin mentioned Mike Bailey, Megan Bayne, and Kevin Knight all getting “All Elite” graphics, and asked if there’s a difference in Khan’s mindset toward free agency now that the TV deal is in place. Khan spoke about how staying on top of free agents has been very important. He sang the praises of Adam Copeland and Mercedes Mone as free agent signings, as well as Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada.
-Dave Meltzer asked if there are any international television deals that are finished or are close. Khan said they have been working on things, but there’s nothing he can announce yet. He spoke about the double digit growth year-over-year on ITV in the UK. Khan spoke about the opportunities that exist internationally because their opponent (WWE) has shifted to a streaming approach.
-Khan delivered his closing comments and said the hour flew by. Khan spoke about Sunday’s AEW Dynasty and taking more questions on the post event scrum. This concluded the call.
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