Tony Khan names new four pillars of AEW

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Tony Khan speaks at post-AEW Double or Nothing press conference. (Image credit: JJ Williams)

Tony Khan considers Thekla, Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, and Mercedes Mone to be four of the most valuable additions AEW has made over the years.

In an interview with radio station Q93, Khan was asked who he considers to be the new pillars of the AEW roster. He said there are a lot of different options to consider but pointed to Thekla (33 years old), Knight (29), Fletcher (27), and Mone (34) as some of the best young wrestlers who have joined AEW as free agents.

“Well, that’s a great question. It’s tricky because it’s somewhat in the eye of the beholder,” Khan said. “You know, you could ask 100 fans to pick four pillars and they might have 99 different answers. In this case, there are so many great young wrestlers. If I was to pick from a young group right now that has come in in recent years, I would say, of the new arrivals, you’d have Thekla, Kevin Knight, I think Kyle Fletcher, and looking up and down the roster, I mean, Mercedes Mone.

“Really, when I look at the AEW stars, we had a great roster at the very beginning and we’ve brought in great free agents as we’ve gone on that have come in in recent years. So those would be four great people that have come into AEW in recent years that are now very important in the company.”

Thekla and Knight are champions in AEW right now, respectively holding the Women’s World Championship and TNT Championship. Fletcher (TNT Championship and Trios Championship) and Mone (TBS Championship) are both former title holders as well.

if Thekla retains against Starlight Kid at Forbidden Door this weekend and Mone defeats Maya World in the Owen Hart Cup finals, it would set up a Women’s Championship match between Thekla and Mone for All In 2026.

Original Four Pillars of AEW —

After AEW launched in 2019, MJF, Darby Allin, Jack Perry, and Sammy Guevara were publicly recognized as the four pillars who would be the future of the company. MJF and Allin have gone on to have the most success, with them being the two most recent AEW World Champions. MJF is currently on his third reign with the belt.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

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.