Tony Khan Discusses AEW’s Record-Breaking Year, Announces New Rule and UK Tour Dates
Following the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, AEW President Tony Khan spoke with the media about a wide range of topics, including the success of the event, the company’s international expansion, a major change to his creative process, and a new rule that will affect all future championship contract executions. He also addressed the post-match attack on Will Ospreay and praised the growth of the AEW women’s division. Scroll down to watch the video from the press conference.
A Record-Breaking Night in London
Khan began the press conference by celebrating the success of Forbidden Door, which was held at The O2 Arena in London. He announced that the event had set a new attendance record for professional wrestling at the venue. “The only thing better than AEW breaking the attendance record for this building… is AEW together with New Japan Pro Wrestling breaking this record as a partnership, a collaboration,” Khan said. He stated that 18,992 fans were in attendance for the show.
New UK Tour Dates and Continental Classic
Building on this success, Khan announced that AEW would be returning to the UK before the end of the year for the first time. “We’re coming back in December to the UK,” he revealed. “We’ll go back to Cardiff for Collision, Cardiff Collision, December 13, and we will debut AEW in Manchester on December 17.” He also announced that the company’s annual round-robin tournament, the Continental Classic, would be coming to the UK for the first time as part of this tour.
A New Rule for Championship Contracts
Khan then addressed the recent storyline with MJF and his Casino Gauntlet contract, using it as a catalyst to announce a new rule for all future championship contract executions. He expressed his dissatisfaction with how the situation played out on television. “I don’t think that’s how a championship challenger… should conduct themself,” he said. “I don’t think that’s in the spirit of the contract executions.”
After polling the media for their opinion, Khan announced the new policy. “Going forward, I want to set the tone that from now on, I think the right thing to do is all contract execution should be on at least a week’s notice so we can properly promote the matches,” he stated. “So that we can give the fans notice and have the integrity of a championship match.”
Changes to His Creative Process
A reporter asked Khan if his creative process had changed over the past year, noting an increase in vignettes and long-term stories. Khan gave a detailed answer, explaining that he had returned to a more centralized booking style that he had utilized successfully in the past. He contrasted his current method with a more collaborative approach he tried last year. “I, with the best of intentions, last year, went out there, and I tried to get really collaborative. And I said, let’s all do a lot of zooms, and I want to hear everybody’s ideas,” he explained.
He said he had a “look in a mirror conversation” with himself this past Christmas, similar to one he had at the end of 2019, and decided to go back to a process where he creates the outline for the shows himself before getting input from others. “It’s a lot different than how I did the show, especially in the pandemic,” he recalled. “I would be a one man gorilla, which is what happened… And people thought it was like, the best AEW yet. And then I thought back, and it was like, that’s a pretty good process.”
The Growth of the Women’s Division
Khan also spoke at length about the growth and improvement of the AEW women’s division over the past year. “I think the quality of the wrestlers is much better than when we started. I think the roster right now is a 10 times better than when we launched,” he stated. “I think the past year we’ve had more great rivalries and matches in AEW women’s wrestling than maybe in the past five years combined.”
He credited the division’s champions for leading the way. “It starts at the top with the champions,” he said, praising AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm, ROH Women’s World Champion Athena, and the TBS Champion, Mercedes Moné, whom he called “the hardest fighting, hardest working champion in all of wrestling.”
Praise for Top Stars and Will Ospreay
Khan also took time to praise several of his top male stars, including AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page and former champion Jon Moxley. He called Moxley “probably the greatest World Champion I’ve ever known” and praised Page for his growth into the “leader and the champion he is now.”
He concluded his remarks with a heartfelt message for Will Ospreay, who was written off of television with a post-match attack to undergo neck surgery. Khan compared Ospreay’s arrival in AEW to when Ric Flair came to the WWF in the early 90s. “When Will Ospreay came to AEW, he injected new life into the promotion. He was a workhorse. He created new matchups that you never thought you were gonna see,” Khan said. “I’m not sure when or if we will see him come back from what happened tonight. I think we’re still very worried about his status… I just want to thank him for everything he’s been doing for AEW.”
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