Samoa Joe
Joe was asked different variations of the question: what's it like to be the new AEW World Champion. He said he considered holding the title an accolade and is just getting started. He is very excited about what’s to come.
One person asked about comparing his career to two years ago, when it felt like he was close to retiring. He said that back then, it was a conscious decision for himself to heal while recovering from a concussion, not rushing back to get injured worse. He was glad he did it, and did not regret it. More athletes should be encouraged to do the same.
Joe said he had already talked to Tony Khan about getting rid of MJF’s belt design. He also brought up that the company will work with WB Games on promoting their upcoming Suicide Squad game.
Toni Storm
Storm answered questions mostly in character, with Mariah May by her side. She had reporters respond to her with their new year’s resolutions. At one point she put her hat and glasses on Khan.
When asked who she wanted to face, Storm called out Wendi Richter. Tony Khan then reiterated his claim that he will be very active in signing women in 2024, saying he had “many cards up his sleeve.”
Julia Hart
During this part of the scrum, a reporter asked about concerns regarding sexual harassment in the pro wrestling industry and what Khan was doing to combat it. Khan said that he thought it applies to both women and men, that AEW had the best safety record of any pro wrestling company and called AEW the safest place in pro wrestling. Additionally, if anything came to light, he would take it to AEW’s disciplinary committee. More information
on this question here.
One person asked Hart about people’s opinions of her. She replied that she only cares about the opinions of Khan and herself. She also remembers being a fan and thought she knew everything. She said that Tony was her boss and if he says that she does a good job, then that’s all that matters.
Swerve Strickland
When asked about the injury to Keith Lee, Strickland said it’s quite unfortunate, but he’s tired of waiting. He wants gold, and isn’t going to wait for anybody. Khan said that the doctor did what he thought was right and respected their decision.
One reporter asked about Dustin Rhodes and if he’ll continue to wrestle into 2024. Khan said that Rhodes is a great part of AEW and is very fortunate to have him.
When asked about a potential opponent for Wembley Stadium, Swerve brought up Bryan Danielson’s name.
Daniel Garcia
Garcia was asked about his contract being up at the end of next year. Garcia said that he wants to prove he can be an asset and be someone that the company can be built around.
Khan was asked about the AEW game, with the person asking the question mentioning that people like Swerve and Garcia aren’t in the game. He mentions that they will continue to add more stars to the game via DLC packs. Khan also said that AEW will support Fight Forever “for the foreseeable future”.
Tony Khan
Khan first started by pushing business, saying they had a great week in terms of ratings, with Collision last week finishing above the NBA and the Dynamite rating was the biggest since Grand Slam in September. He also pushed that Worlds End had a sellout crowd, which Khan later said was around 9,500-10,000.
Worlds End in terms of buys seems to be finishing around what Full Gear did last month. Khan said this was the biggest year on pay-per-view that the company has ever had.
Khan also brought up a number of departures, including QT Marshall and Rafael Morffi, the latter of whom is finishing with Worlds End.
Later in the scrum, he mentioned Dana Massie, saying if she hadn’t convinced Matt Jackson to get on the phone with him, AEW may not be here.
He also brought up that Andrade El Idolo’s contract is up at the end of the year. He mentioned that he wanted to put him in a prominent position, but they couldn’t come to an agreement. He said that if his loss to Miro was the end, then Andrade would leave AEW on a high note.
Regarding booking, Khan said that it was “the same process it’s always been”. There’s always people in the room when it comes to decisions.
Khan was asked specifically about Chris Jericho and if he has ever been under investigation at any time during his career in AEW for sexual misconduct. Khan said he could not “speak to unsourced internet rumors” and reiterated his earlier response. More on that
here.
At one point, Khan talked about ratings being up year over year this quarter. He says these ratings means everyone’s jobs are “very, very secure”.
Khan said that he considers AEW “the challenger brand” and they need to have that mindset at heart.
Regarding MJF’s future and if he has re-signed with the company, Khan said he couldn’t speak to that but is grateful for everything MJF has done in the company.
Khan also could not comment on expanding the pay-per-view schedule, saying the next show would be Revolution in March.
