Tony Khan explains different approaches to booking AEW Dynamite and Collision
When booking AEW television, Tony Khan takes different approaches to laying out Dynamite and Collision.
Khan explained during an interview with Q101 Radio that, with Dynamite, he is obsessed with the minute-by-minute ratings patterns of the show. With Collision, he is less focused on that and is more intent on just delivering a great in-ring wrestling program that wrestling fans will love. His hope is that those dedicated fans will watch Collision and then tell their friends about it and create new viewers.
“Absolutely,” Khan responded when asked if there are different approaches to booking the two shows. “There are things that I do on Collision that I think are excellent wrestling and I’m not as obsessed with the minute-by-minute viewing patterns. I am [obsessed with the minute-by-minute patterns for Dynamite], I’m obsessed with it. And I’m obsessed with Collision being a great wrestling show that the wrestling fans love.
“My goal for Collision is the wrestling fans tell the other wrestling fans — because I don’t want there to ever be a perception, even though I know some fans think that, ‘Oh, I can watch Dynamite and I’ll get everything.’ That’s not the case. A lot of the best stuff is on Collision. I want the wrestling fans to spread the virus like I have. I was a virus-spreading wrestling fan that made other wrestling fans, that would go to school and bring people over and show them tapes of my favorite stuff and get other people into wrestling.”
Khan noted that he believes Dynamite is a great in-ring show like Collision, but there is more of a need to deliver a balanced offering given that it’s weeknight prime time TV. Dynamite is broadcast on Wednesdays every week, while Collision is a weekend show on Saturdays.
Dynamite has been AEW’s flagship show since it launched in 2019. Collision, originally meant to be a series centered around CM Punk, was later added in 2023. It supplanted and eventually replaced Rampage as AEW’s secondary TV program.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.