Tony Khan: idea of big AEW event during WWE WrestleMania 43 weekend ‘potenitally viable’
Tony Khan doesn’t dismiss the idea of a big wrestling weekend to counter WrestleMania 43.
During Sunday’s Double or Nothing media scrum, Khan was asked if AEW could fill in a gap this coming April when there’s no big domestic event taking place, as WrestleMania 43 will be in Saudi Arabia. Khan’s answer suggests it could happen.
“I think it is potentially viable,” he said. “And it’s a very interesting thought. We’ll have to see what happens in the world landscape between now and then, but it’s a very interesting possibility.”
Will Ospreay, Thekla, and Khan all took questions from the media following Sunday’s AEW Double or Nothing event in Queens, New York. Here are the highlights:
Will Ospreay
- Regarding a possible match against Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, he said he hasn’t spoken to Swerve Strickland in a year and they haven’t crossed paths, so he’s interested in seeing where it goes.
- He thinks Callum Newman is “playing a dangerous game” but the United Empire are all strong and are “rolling good.”
- Regarding Wembley, Ospreay said every kid wanted to be a football player and when he was a kid, he worked with his family at the stadium and watched people going into the building. It would mean so much to him to headline that show and win a title that means a lot to him. Nothing is going to stop him from getting that match.
Thekla
- Tony Khan mentioned that international talent was coming in when Thekla asked who was next.
- She predicted Skye Blue would win the Owen Hart tournament and is ready to see her step up.
- “I always knew I was good, now I know I am the f***ing best,” she stated.
Tony Khan
- Khan said that Double or Nothing was “one of the best nights in the history of the company.”
- He thought Mick Foley and Renee Paquette would make a great pair moving forward, and will be doing so for a long time to come.
- Regarding MyAEW plans, Tony Khan says they are focused on the international market for it but does have a domestic component. He says there are plans for additional promotions to be included with the service.
- Regarding Madison Square Garden, Tony Khan retold the story of the first Dynamite being planned for MSG, with the building’s management calling him to express interest, only to get another phone call saying they were no longer interested. He said it was similar to Lucy from the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip pulling the football away from Charlie Brown.
- Someone asked about the NYSAC not allowing blood or brawling in the crowd. Khan thought they hit a home run with the show, and was glad to keep the state of New York happy tonight.
- He was asked about how he is looking to differentiate ROH and AEW. Khan said the ROH show is a bit different in presentation where he focuses more on younger talent, particularly women, as well as pure wrestling rules. He also said he wanted to make sure veteran ROH stars had a presence on the television show.
- Khan said he was proud of Darby Allin’s title run, he’s just about done everything he has set out to do and had one of the greatest World title reigns in the company. He additionally said he would be interested to see what Kevin Knight had to say after turning against Darby Allin.
- Khan continued to praise Paramount and David Ellison, saying the deal is done. He pushed his relationship with Ellison, pushing he had worked with Skydance over NFL collaborations. He also took time to say he didn’t like Netflix’s idea of seperating TBS and TNT from HBO Max.
- For Dynamite this Wednesday, Khan said he had several matches planned but can’t put the show together until wrestlers get medically cleared.
- He sent his best wishes to Rebel and is considering doing a Fight for the Fallen event to benefit ALS research, urging fans to support that research.
- Regarding usage of CMLL’s micro wrestlers, he said he hasn’t thought much about that, but would put it under consideration.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.