Tony Khan has been asked if there would be a scenario where he would step aside as the head of AEW creative and allow someone else to fill that role.
Ever since All Elite Wrestling was founded in 2019, Khan has been responsible for the storylines and the booking of the program. With the line-up expanding in the past 5 years with the addition of 2 extra weekly shows and the acquisition of Ring of Honor, Khan has 7 hours of TV to book each week on top of an ever-expanding pay-per-view line-up.
Although there was a lot of goodwill for the upstart promotion in the early days along with strong attendance, ratings and pay-per-view buys, interest has dwindled in the past year. With storylines such as The Devil being heavily criticised and catering to a niche audience, many feel these decisions have been why fans have lost interest in the brand and have been reflected in ticket sales and ratings.
Appearing on the media call ahead of AEW Dynasty, Khan was asked if there would ever be a scenario where he would relinquish his role as AEW booker. Khan responded that while he is aware that no job lasts forever he is having more fun than ever and is going to do his best to repay the talent for their loyalty:
“Certainly, at some point, we would have to see where we are at. With all positions, nobody lasts forever, at any organisation I am in that will be a reality, whether it’s Fulham or the Jaguars or AEW. I won’t be here forever. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my life being able to be involved in these shows and work on these shows and do creative planning. I am having more fun than ever right now. I really loved last night’s show, I thought it was a strong go-home Dynamite leading into this pay-per-view. I take it year to year, moment to moment and really loving what we are doing right now.
I am 41 years old and I feel like the company is in a really strong place. Some of the greatest wrestlers in the world are really loyal to me personally and I really am very proud of that. Hopefully, I can do my best to repay them and I think right now the company is in a very strong place. We just had a valuation of $2 billion [by Forbes] for a sports start-up, the fastest sports start-up of all time and the most successful sports start-up in the world since the American football league, the AFL, which later merged with the NFL.
I don’t see that same future for us but I do think the numbers are quite real and frankly the story is very exciting for AEW. We are a major player in the sports scene and it’s going to be a really big year coming up with our media rights renewal. It’s the most important thing right now for the wrestlers, the staff and everyone who works at AEW and for our fans.”
Tony Khan Comments On All In Footage
A recent creative decision that was met with a significant amount of backlash was to air the footage from the backstage altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry on Dynamite. Highlighting a star who is no longer with the company and having a minimal effect on the ratings, the segment was universally viewed as a creative misfire. Following the segment going to air, Tony Khan explained why he thought it made a lot of sense.
In recent news, Tony Khan has responded to claims made by CM Punk about AEW.
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