By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the pro wrestling media on Thursday, October 15, 2026, to promote Saturday’s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
Tony Khan opened the call with some brief comments before taking questions.
-Dave Meltzer asked if AEW falls under the sports or entertainment umbrella with Skydance, whom they report to now, and whether they’ve had talks about distribution. Khan said he’s been in a lot of discussions with the new Skydance, and he’s very excited about what’s happened. He said he’s been positive about the merger because he’s had a lot of conversations with Skydance’s David Ellison and thinks he’ll be a great leader. Khan said he can’t get into specifics regarding plans. He spoke positively about Warner Bros. Discovery’s Channing Dungey and JB Prett staying with the new company. Khan said Ellison is very positive about AEW, and he’s had great discussions with him. Khan said Ellison is the person he’s engaged with the most so far.
-Joel Torres asked whether Khan knew that Adam Copeland was going to announce that his final year in pro wrestling will be in 2027, and for an update on Christian Cage. Khan said he absolutely knew. Khan said he thinks Copeland will have a great run. He said he doesn’t know how far Copeland wants to go in 2027. Khan said he spoke with Copeland about why it would make sense for him to enter Clockwork Carnage now that Christian is sidelined. Khan spoke about how much he respects Christian. He said they went through a tough 24-hour period with the death of Ben “Pac” Satterley and with Christian’s numerous injuries. Khan said Christian blew off the medical team by indicating that he could continue during the ladder match. Khan said it makes all the sense in the world for Copeland to go after the AEW World Championship while Christian is hurt. Khan said they love Christian. He said that Christian and Pac were two of the most important people in AEW in the ring, and they would have definitely played a part in WrestleDream. He also mentioned Jamie Hayter being sidelined due to an injury.
-Courtney Rice wished Khan a happy Thursday. She also asked about the TBS Championship and the growth of the title picture. Khan said he is excited about it. He mentioned that Maya World is also out with an injury. He said she has an incredible story. He praised her for coming to work and fighting through pain outside the ring (the death of her brother). He said there had to be a lot of changes, but he thinks the four-way match will be great. Khan also spoke about how they would have started the build to Grand Slam France and WrestleDream at the Pittsburgh Dynamite, which turned into the Pac tribute show. He praised the locker room for stepping up through injuries and the death of Pac. Khan mentioned that Steven Borden is going to be okay. He added that they like Borden and think he’s doing great. He also spoke about Hyan stepping up while her partner (Maya World) is sidelined, as well as Dani Luna. Khan noted that he hoped Jamie Hayter would be cleared by now, but the doctors said it would be safe to wait two weeks. He said Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron will get their title shot once Hayter is healthy.
-Carlos Aguilar brought up Adam Copeland posting that he’s crossed off every venue he’s wanted to work in aside from the Tokyo Dome. He wondered if there had been any discussions about Copeland working at Wrestle Kingdom. Khan said he would leave some mystery to that one and asked if Aguilar had another question. Aguilar asked if Blood & Guts will be held regularly in November going forward. Khan said he thinks it’s a strong time of year to have the event.
-Jon Alba congratulated Khan on the hot start of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Alba spoke about sitting in a quarterback room with the Jaguars’ head coach Liam Coen. Khan praised Coen. He said Coen will not be at Blood & Guts in Jacksonville because he’ll be in Baltimore getting ready for a Thursday night game. Alba asked about potential changes in pay-per-view distribution under Skydance. Khan said any changes would be positive. He said they’ve done very well on HBO Max, and it’s all up to Skydance. He said it’s great for AEW that Skydance is keeping TBS, TNT, and HBO Max under the same roof.
– My long-lost cousin John Powell (not really, or at least not that I know of) asked what he’s looking forward to most about WrestleDream. He also noted that Taya Valkyrie finished her run on Traitors in Canada and wants more opportunities. Khan spoke about several pay-per-view matches he’s looking forward to. Khan spoke briefly about how Valkyrie has been great in AEW and ROH, and he looks forward to having her back.
-Bill Bodkin asked about how important Jon Moxley has been to the locker room, particularly following the death of Pac and Andy “The Butcher” Williams. Khan said Moxley has been a huge part of AEW from the very beginning. He said Moxley has been a great leader in and out of the ring from the start. He said that Moxley has been incredible as a leader in recent weeks. He said AEW can count on Moxley every week to be at his very best and to lead by example and push everyone to be their best and to show everyone what it is to be a professional. Khan spoke about Moxley having a hard-hitting match with Jake Doyle miles away from his home on the Collision that followed the Pac tribute show.
