Tony Khan AEW Revolution media call

[Chris]

Tony Khan AEW media call notes & audio: Releases, defending All In ticket sales, ROH TV, production meetings

Image: JJ Williams Tony Khan is not afraid to back up his ticket sales numbers on 2023’s AEW All In from London’s Wembley Stadium. That was just one of the many topics that came up during Thursday’s…

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Tony Khan is not afraid to back up his ticket sales numbers on 2023’s AEW All In from London’s Wembley Stadium.

That was just one of the many topics that came up during Thursday’s pre-Revolution media call which included insight on why he chose to release certain wrestlers now, the rumor of not having production meetings, an update of sorts on a TV deal for Ring of Honor, and more.

The full audio is available for free below.

Releases

Asked by our Dave Meltzer on what changed in the philosophy to release wrestlers like Miro, Malakai Black and Rey Fenix, Khan admitted it did feel like a change and that “everything is a case-by-case basis” and that “it felt like the right thing for the company and everyone involved.” He didn’t go into detail on the released wrestlers.

All In

Answering a question about the new Amazon PPV distribution deal for those in the UK, Khan took the opportunity to chide those questioned the validity of ticket sales from the first All In at Wembley Stadium, saying he set the world record for paid tickets and have paperwork and a plaque from Live Nation to prove it. He said it “it’s not lost on me what goes on out there” when it comes to the discourse around claiming he sold in the 70,000s.

He then said on ITV, they have had the biggest audience for pro wrestling in the UK and that Dynamite and Collision are both up 50% year over year.

Production meeting rumors

Answering a rumor about not having production meetings, Khan says he meets with several working groups and individuals at several points during event days (production people, producers, coaches, announcers, etc.) He is constantly looking to do better with communication, but that it’s a great process for them. He thought some of the things he read were completely untrue which is why he saw some backtracking about it. He doesn’t think about that anymore and wants to eliminate those kinds of distractions. He found some of the discourse “amusing. Consider the source.”

ROH TV

Asked about an ROH TV rights update, Khan said they have had great conversations domestically and internationally. He hasn’t been rushing it as he wants to make the best deal possible. No timeline was given, but he’s still interested and has been putting time into it.

Other notable quotes:

• Khan says Max will still eventually be a home for AEW PPVs and is looking forward to when fans can buy PPVs there. No timeline for what that could happen was given.
• He went down an interesting rabbit hole when talking about his recent run of shows, saying he made a promise to himself years ago at New Year’s Eve going into 2020 that he was going to make great TV shows and would not be nice anymore in turning down people’s creative ideas. He said the majority of what you’re seeing now is by him and he realized years ago, that’s what he should be doing. He said there’s been times in the past where he’s been too collaborative and that part of that process is saying “no.”
• Asked about the absence of the Face of the Revolution ladder match, Khan said it was about putting the right people in the right situations at the right time. He’s happy what is going on with the TNT title scene right now and with the card, it wasn’t the right time.
• Asked if he feels added creative pressure given the John Cena turn last weekend, Khan said they are happy with their shows right now and doesn’t want to change anything he’s doing just because another company did.

Click here for the full call which included answers to questions not listed above.