Tony Khan says promoting AEW awards success is ‘a balance of promotion and humility’
Tony Khan commented on AEW celebrating the Sports Illustrated awards it won in 2025 during a recent interview.
AEW won 10 awards in Sports Illustrated’s annual awards voting, including Promotion of the Year, and the company has frequently mentioned this on its programming. During a recent interview on the Battleground podcast, Khan said he wants to strike a balance between promotion and humility.
Khan said:
“I think we certainly had a fantastic year. It’s the most awards we’ve ever won. And to your point, in 2024, AEW did not win that award (Promotion of the year). In 2025, we did. That’s why I’m here at the SI Awards now, and I wasn’t invited to this last year. So I think we did put our heads down and do a lot of work. I think it’s good to be out and promote the show, and you’ve got to find a balance between humility and promotion. But you can do both.”
Khan also mentioned Sports Illustrated’s panel voting AEW Double or Nothing as the show of the year, while ESPN selected AEW Revolution. However, Khan said a case can also be made for AEW All In: Texas as the best event of 2025.
“They had AEW Revolution as the best show of the year. It speaks to the quality of the company that Revolution was ESPN’s pick for the best wrestling show in the world last year. And Sports Illustrated thought the best wrestling show in the world was Double or Nothing. I think there are a lot of people who would say the best wrestling show last year was AEW All In Texas.”
“So we really put out so many tremendous shows throughout the year. Those three were excellent, but it’s a 52 week-a-year business.”
Khan also commented on the recent retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20 at the Tokyo Dome.
“I thought that was so special, and I think it’s a great example of some of the great things that can be achieved. To have the massive audience that the show pulled, the huge crowd live, and the TV audience. It was very befitting Tanahashi’s legendary status. He’s a great choice to be the president of New Japan, and we’re very blessed to work with him. I’m so glad that his retirement was a great success, and I think it’s a tribute to him. We’re just blessed to be a part of that.”
Khan’s appearance on the Battleground Podcast is available below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.