By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the pro wrestling media on Thursday, September 24, 2026, to promote Saturday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
-Tony Khan opened the call with some brief comments before they started taking questions.
-Courtney Rice asked about the rivalry between “The Brawling Birds” Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor and “Divine Dominion” Megan Bayne and Lena Kross, and whether it could continue coming out of the show. Khan praised the match and the feud without specifically answering the question.
-Sean Radican brought up the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery deal and asked what the next steps are to secure AEW’s future once that deal becomes official. Khan said he thinks it’s tremendous for AEW and it means a really bright future for the company. He noted that they are celebrating one year of AEW pay-per-views on HBO Max. Khan said he’s excited to work with the new Paramount and Warner Bros. Khan said it was a big unknown when Warner Bros. merged with Discovery because he was unfamiliar with the new executives. He said that AEW turned out to be one of the properties they were “very interested in.” He said they created new opportunities for them, including AEW Collision. Khan spoke about working with Paramount’s David Ellison. He said they are the same age and Ellison is a pro wrestling fan. Khan said he will work very hard to make sure AEW fits in any corporate structure. He said he thinks he’s proven that he is the ultimate corporate soldier.
-Jim Varsallone brought up Darby Allin and Steven Borden facing Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight to determine the No. 1 contenders to the AEW Tag Team Titles. He asked about Steven joining the company. Khan said he first met Steven when he was a tight end at the University of Kentucky. Khan said he brought him to Jacksonville to try out for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said that as Steven’s football career ended, Sting got back into wrestling. Khan said that invigorated his passion for pro wrestling. He recalled Steven and his brother Garrett being part of Sting’s final match. Khan said Steven is a handsome guy and a fun, engaging person. Khan said he had chills watching Steven in the ring and was excited that he decided to train.
-Dominic DeAngelo asked more about Steven Borden and how Khan envisions building him up and working with him. Khan said he’s very excited to have Steven in AEW, and called him an incredible young wrestler. Khan said Steven is a hard worker, a great listener, and a great person. Khan said Steven is handsome, and it makes him very happy that fans are very captivated by him.
-Jeremy Lambert asked if Khan considers All Out to be Mocha Joe’s or Latte Larry’s with WWE running across town. Khan pointed out that it was a Curb Your Enthusiasm reference. Ever the company man, Khan said it’s available on HBO Max. Khan got a kick out of it and said they were probably more Mocha Joe’s in this case. (For those unfamiliar with the classic episode, Larry David’s character got pissed at the Mocha Joe’s owner and opened Latte Larry’s next door as his “spite store.”)
-Lambert also asked if they see an uptick in buys when their pre-show main event carries over into the pay-per-view. Khan said they do. He said it worked “fantastically well” when they did it the first time. He said they’ve done it a few times, including at All In during the Casino Trios Royale.
-Bill Bodkin asked about the Will Ospreay entrance at All In. Khan called it awesome and said they had the perfect video package and a great live moment.
-Sully Khan asked about Tommaso Ciampa and what Khan thinks he has that he hasn’t shown on television yet. Khan said Ciampa has been a fantastic addition to AEW. He said Ciampa and All Out opponent Kazuhika Okada are both having fantastic years. Khan said they should have a hard-hitting fight and said it’s one of the matches he’s most looking forward to.
-Vivek Sharma asked if Persephone’s open challenger will be someone on the AEW roster or a new arrival. Khan said the mystery is what makes the open challenge interesting and exciting. He said you’ll have to watch All Out to find out the answer.
-Sharma also asked how Mercedes Mone’s injury affected the plans for All Out. Khan said she was originally scheduled to wrestle at All Out.
-Adam Barnard asked about Kofi and Austin Creed. Khan said he thinks they are tremendous additions. He said he’s been a fan of them as wrestlers, but he never knew them until recently. Khan spoke about their personality differences with their trios partner, Swerve Strickland. He said they are fantastic individuals and great as a team, and also offered praise for what they add backstage. Khan said a lot of the wrestlers look to them for advice, and they are already tremendous mentors. He said wrestlers look at them and think they can have a great match with them.
-I asked if there will be a Worlds End pay-per-view this year, with the last Saturday of the year falling on the day after Christmas, and with his Jaguars playing on Sunday Night Football on December 27. There will definitely be a Worlds End pay-per-view. He said they are looking ahead and planning the calendar for late in the year. Khan said the show features the culmination of the Continental Classic. He recalled holding Worlds End last year and then traveling home to make the Jaguars game and then watching Worlds End again. Khan said to stay tuned for an update on Worlds End.
-Andrew Baydala mentioned how quickly All Out sold out, and asked what’s made this such a successful year for AEW. Khan spoke about the awards the company won last year and said he feels like this year has been even better. He said these are great times for AEW, and noted that they have done their best pay-per-view numbers on HBO Max this year. He said he expects this year’s All Out to do better on HBO Max than it did last year. He said the 2026 versions of All In, AEW Double or Nothing, and AEW Revolution have done their best numbers on HBO Max.
-Lennard Surrao asked about Mara Sade and the possibility that she could be Persephone’s open challenger. Khan said she’s a tremendous young talent. He said to stay tuned, and you never know. Khan said she’s a very compelling young prospect and someone to keep an eye on.
-Carlos Aguilar asked about MJF being ranked number one in the PWI 500. Khan said he thinks it’s incredible and tremendous to see. Khan said he thinks MJF is a great choice and called it another feather in AEW’s cap.
-Samantha Schipman asked about Khan mentioning some meetings that he set up for Andy “The Butcher” Williams before he passed. Khan said Williams was interested in working in the office. Khan said one of the ideas Williams had was to do music shows in collaboration with AEW that might bring music fans into AEW. Khan said it was compelling and he was interested. Khan said he and Williams met last month and they worked on his idea. Khan said Williams was going to bridge the world of music and wrestling. Khan said he had several good ideas, and that one really stood out to him. Khan said that Williams’ death was very hard on a lot of people in AEW. Khan said Williams was very well liked backstage in AEW. Khan said he was talented, humble, and a nice guy. He said he wanted to do a fitting tribute show, and he said he’s very proud of the way everyone came together and put that show together. Khan said they will miss him very much. Khan closed the session with some final comments about All Out.
Join me for my live review of AEW All Out on Saturday.
