Tony Khan rejects WWE speculation on TV deal, talks New Day possibly coming to AEW
Tony Khan and other wrestlers spoke to the media following ROH Supercard of Honor.
Notably, Khan brought up something from the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter regarding people within WWE believing AEW wouldn’t get a TV deal from Paramount when their current television deal expires at the end of 2027. Khan denied those reports while saying he chooses to turn the other cheek regarding the constant speculation.
“I saw a report today saying somebody in WWE is telling people within WWE talking about AEW’s next TV deal and talking about what we’re doing. And I was surprised by that and I’ll say what they said could not be further from the truth and they’re entitled to their opinions,” he said. “I’ve been trying to be respectful to them and try to conduct myself as a gentleman and then for them to go on background and spread these things…I’ll just turn the other cheek, and maybe a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have done it like that.”
Khan also briefly mentioned Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, who recently departed WWE. Khan said he couldn’t comment because they are still under contract to the company. However, he did say they were great wrestlers, and would say that under any circumstances.
Deonna Purrazzo, Outrunners & Dalton Castle, Red Velvet, Mark Davis, Athena, and Khan all spoke to media following Supercard of Honor on Friday. Here are the highlights:
ROH wrestlers
- Deonna Purrazzo said that having three women’s titles in ROH was “beyond her wildest dreams.” She’s excited to create what Women’s Pure Rules wrestling looks like in the future.
- Khan seemed interested in the idea of an all pure wrestling-style HonorClub show, but also brought up the idea of a lot of Pure rules matches on one show, including eliminator bouts.
- Outrunners & Dalton Castle talked about their Six-Man Tag Team title win on Friday. Castle said this was the one that meant the most to him, while the Outrunners pointed out this was their first title win in either AEW or ROH.
- Red Velvet said she was excited to face Willow Nightingale on AEW Collision. She said all she needs is space, opportunity, and three seconds.
- Mark Davis said he was open to any and all challengers for the National title.
- He also said it was difficult at first to break out as a singles star but there’s nothing else in the world he’d rather do, so it’s been great. Also called Kyle Fletcher one of the best wrestlers in the world.
- Athena, Diamante, and Billie Starkz all continued teasing dissension with one another.
- Regarding the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, Athena said she is focusing on building herself up so she knows who she thinks she is and will soon be ready to take over AEW, it is her time and she is tired of waiting.
- She also mentioned she wanted to surpass Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Championship reign of seven years, saying that was the goal to reach.
Tony Khan
- Khan said this year’s SuperCard of Honor marked four years since he started with the company and paid tribute to Jay Briscoe, saying he thinks about him every day.
- Said Lio Rush is doing a fantastic job, it’s been really cool to watch him develop and there’s an audience for what he does.
- Khan talked more about the visa issues with Mortos and Komander, saying they still haven’t gotten their appointments yet. He again brought up the idea of defending the titles in Mexico.
- When talking about the upcoming Sammy Guevara/Darby Allin match on Collision, Khan told a story about a Daily’s Place episode during COVID where only ten people were allowed in the building, saying that Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega went over 25 minutes in the main event.
- He said ROH’s move to Jacksonville has been great for the locker room and this group of younger talent.
- Regarding an ROH television deal, he said they have a great set of wrestlers and champions and the way media is moving right now, there are more opportunities for ROH than ever before. He brought up ROH’s successful subscriber numbers. He got offers to put ROH on cable before, but it has to be the right situation. He is excited for Paramount to be merging with Warner Bros. Discovery, saying “you couldn’t ask for better management,” while putting over David Ellison. He painted HBO Max and AEW as challenger brands.
- Said Zayda Steel really stepped up and also put Persephone over, saying it was unfortunate she got injured at the hands of the Triangle of Madness.
- Khan reiterated that his new approach lately has been turning the other cheek, saying that he thought about Jesus more following Jay Briscoe’s death and has tried to apply that to his life. He says he’s not perfect but still tries to apply it.
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.