Tony Khan explains changing ‘collective rebel spirit’ approach in AEW
AEW began as a mainstream wrestling rival promotion in 2019 and has since grown massively in numbers; however, the promotion’s philosophy has changed over the years as well.
Initially, as fans might remember, both AEW and Khan would often take direct shots at WWE on television or publicly. Speaking to Jonathan Coachman and Vince Russo, Khan believes they have now overcome that phase and the “collective rebel spirit” approach they once had in AEW.
Now Khan looks forward to focusing on and developing AEW rather than talking about his competition.
“I changed my approach. At the beginning of AEW, there really was a collective rebel spirit. Now, I think AEW is very established, and people know AEW has a quality product and a lot of fans. I do want to grow that fanbase, but the way I would do something now might be different than how I would have done it six or seven years ago,” Khan said.
“I also think it’s possible that Vince Russo, Vince McMahon, and DX could succeed by zigging at one point where I might succeed by zagging at another point. There are different ways to get to success, and I’ve got my ideas and my way, but I can learn from different people. I might not incorporate every aspect of it, but I do want to hear your thoughts and ideas. I think the AEW fans would agree that I’ve refined my own media strategy, and people have seen me trying to take the high road,” he continued.
“Some of it is the fact that I believe in taking the high road when possible. I feel like by taking the high road, that’s rubbed people the right way. I’m not saying I’m trying to kill people with kindness, but being nice to people has gotten me a long way, and I’ve been trying to do it more in recent years.“
Recently, a report had also emerged about Tony Khan bidding and attempting to buy WWE a few years ago. Speaking to Coachman and Russo, he also opened up about that situation, where he explained his bid for the promotion.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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