Tag: Tony Khan

AEW All In takeaways: Analyzing the biggest moments from a historic event

AEW All In London was an unforgettable night at Wembley Stadium. Here are the moments that stood out most.

We have heard plenty of times over the years about a major wrestling show being a historic event.

Most of the time, it’s hyperbole, or as the kids say, cap.

But Sunday afternoon (or night for the good folks in the United Kingdom), really was a historic happening not just for All Elite Wrestling but for all of professional wrestling, as 81,305 people packed into Wembley Stadium to witness All In — a world paid attendance record for professional wrestling.

And to think this all started with a challenge to put 10,000 people in an arena.

 

Did AEW deliver on such a monumental event? Here are my takeaways from the show:

What a moment for AEW and professional wrestling

When WWE does well, it usually only benefits WWE and not the industry as a whole. 

Evidence of this was WWE lording over the wrestling industry for nearly 20 years with very little competition before AEW came to be in 2019. WWE became the industry leader, but the industry was helped none. All WWE’s dominance did was make professional wrestling synonymous with the promotion’s three letters.

There is a large group of people in the world who still refer to any form of wrestling as that “WWE stuff.” That doesn’t help any other promotion sell one ticket.

AEW putting more than 80,000 people into a historic venue like Wembley Stadium actually does help the industry, as it shows that there are a lot of people who actually care about the unique sports/entertainment/art hybrid known as professional wrestling — so much so that it packs out football (both the gridiron kind and the pitch kind) stadiums around the world. 

It is a good look for the entire industry, not just AEW.

AEW should be very proud, as it sold a large chunk of those tickets before one match was announced. The novelty of AEW putting on a major show in the United Kingdom obviously helped, but it is a testament to the fan base the promotion has built during its four years of existence.

AEW apparently enjoys the arrangement it has with Wembley Stadium, as it will return to the venue next year for another All In.

More backstage drama

But what would a major AEW show be without some backstage drama? It is like they go hand-in-hand at this point. 

And it involves the promotion’s prominent name, CM Punk, again.

During the opening match on the card Sean Ross Sapp posted on X that Punk had been involved in a “physical confrontation” with Jack Perry prior to walking through the curtain for his match against Samoa Joe.

According to multiple reports (but h/t to Wrestling Inc.), the confrontation stemmed from a comment Perry made during his match against Hook on Zero Hour. Perry took a bump on the windshield of a limo he rode in for his entrance. 

He eventually stood up, looked at the camera and said “It’s real glass, cry me a river.”

This comment was apparently in reference to Perry wanting to use real glass during a match on Collision and Punk (rightly) putting the kibosh on it. This apparently angered Perry, prompting him to speak his mind during his match at All In.

Punk heard Perry’s comment and decided to check him right before he went through the curtain to open up one of the biggest wrestling shows of all time.

(Note: There have been conflicting reports about who approached who in this incident. Either way, it’s all bad.)

Enough already.

Is Perry wrong for saying what he said? I think so. There was no reason to do it and it is unprofessional to keep fanning these flames — especially after Punk, who seemingly has limitless power, had allegedly excommunicated multiple people from Collision, including management. If Perry really had something to say about it weeks after the fact, all he had to do was speak to Punk. Don’t go out on television and sneak diss.

Is Punk wrong for confronting Perry right before his own match? Yup, mainly because of the time and the place. Punk fashions himself as a locker room leader. A locker room leader does not try to physically confront anyone who dares speak ill of him, in my opinion.

I’m not saying Punk shouldn’t address these things. What Perry did was honestly childish and should be addressed. But how about we do this the professional way and talk about it? And that conversation does not have to happen right before the opening match. In fact, it doesn’t have to happen that day at all.

(Note: Again, there have been conflicting reports about who approached who in this incident. Either way, it’s all bad.)

The promotion is literally breaking worldwide attendance records. This squabble couldn’t have waited until tomorrow? Could we just cut the nonsense and push the egos to the side for one day? Not one day?

Bottom line: Both Perry and Punk’s actions were selfish and took away attention from the biggest event AEW has ever produced. The other people on that roster have worked too hard to let rubbish like this mar their day.

Smartly, AEW did not have Punk take part in the post-event media scrum, but something has to be done.

MJF and Adam Cole remain brochachos … for now

Fortunately for AEW, the drama right before the show’s opening match did not dampen the mood for the main event, which was the best match on the show by far.

The action in the ring was great, but the storytelling took this match to an even higher level. It was the best storytelling I have seen this year outside of the Bloodline. It was really well done.

And to make things even better, AEW has the rare opportunity to complete a full double turn. Time will tell if Adam Cole will flip to a full heel while MJF flips to being more of a good guy, but even having the opportunity to actually pull it off is pretty cool. Again, they don’t come around often.

I am very much looking forward to what’s next regarding these two.

Saraya wins with her family by her side

In probably the most touching moment of the event, Saraya won the AEW Women’s World Championship in her home country and with her family by her side.

Whether you agree with the decision to give Saraya the title or not, it made for a great moment for the fans in the United Kingdom.

I could not help but think of how much this could mean to Saraya, who has been through A LOT during her professional wrestling career. She was called up to WWE’s main roster and thrust into a top position at a very young age, had explicit photos and videos of her leaked online, was in an abusive romantic relationship with a coworker, and was told her career was over due to a severe neck injury.

Despite all of that adversity, Saraya was on top of the world in her home country Sunday.

Side note: Mercedes Moné was in the building Sunday. Maybe she can help make AEW put more than one women’s match on its major events …

Stadium Stampede was a bloody yet sort of fun mess

I’m not a big fan of the ultra-violent, ultra bloody style of wrestling, especially matches that include skewers being shoved into the top of someone’s head.

However, I was a fan of the end of Stadium Stampede, which saw a bloody Orange Cassidy pull off yet another miraculous win. I’ve written before about why I enjoy watching Cassidy so much, and Sunday was another example of it.

Yes, Cassidy did win after he punched someone in the head with a punch while his fist was covered in glass, but he only landed the move once, and it ended the match.

If you’re going to venture into ultra-violent territory, make the moves mean something.

Will Ospreay picks up another HUGE victory

It’s been quite a year for Will Ospreay with two big matches against Kenny Omega and another against Chris Jericho at Wembley Stadium.

It is one thing to be in the big matches. It is another to win them, and that is what Ospreay has done, starting at Forbidden Door against Omega and at All In against Jericho.

FTR stake their claim as the best in the world

If All In was supposed to determine the best tag team in the world, I believe FTR proved it during their win over the Young Bucks Sunday.

And since The Usos aren’t currently a tag team, I’m OK with giving FTR that honor. Objective rankings aside, all of the participants in this match held up their end of the bargain as this was the second-best match on show, in my opinion.

The Acclaimed hosts the world’s largest scissor party

Isn’t it wild how over The Acclaimed is? I mean, they had 80,000 people at historic Wembley Stadium screaming about scissoring each other, which is both NSFW and hilarious at the same time.

Tony Khan says AEW is ‘challenger brand’ in the US, but is industry leader in UK

Ahead of All In London, Tony Khan said AEW is showing signs that it is the No. 1 wrestling promotion in the U.K.

AEW CEO, GM and head of creative Tony Khan knows exactly what his company is in the U.S. market: a “challenger brand” that is Pepsi to WWE’s Coca-Cola or Burger King to WWE’s McDonald’s. But could it be more than that in the U.K.?

That question is more relevant than ever as AEW prepares to put on All In this weekend in Wembley Stadium in London, where a crowd of more than 80,000 fans is expected. It will be one of the biggest shows in the history of pro wrestling, and seems almost certain to break the attendance record for a wrestling event in Europe — one currently held by SummerSlam 1992, put on by the then-WWF in the original incarnation of Wembley.

The prospect that AEW could establish itself as the top promotion in the U.K. is certainly not lost on Khan, and is something he discussed during an All In week interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

What’s very interesting in the U.K., which is a major media market and one of the best markets for the pro wrestling industry, AEW is carving out a legitimate claim as the industry leader now. It’s very exciting because as a challenger brand, your goal is to go into the different major markets and territories and win them over and try to turn places. If we can go into some major places and take the lead, then that’s really a huge step for us. And right now in the U.K., AEW is the industry leader in pro wrestling: we’ve set the box office records, we have by far the biggest TV audience every week thanks to our partnership with ITV, which has a great history in the wrestling business. The average person in the U.K. knows ITV is the home of pro wrestling going back many years to World of Sport. And now, AEW, thanks to the great viewership we get on ITV every week, is by far the most-watched wrestling promotion across our shows Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision.

While those are valid points, AEW might not be able to claim the lead in the U.K. yet simply based on the fact that All In is also its debut show in that market. One thing the promotion has done well is get people to turn out the first time they visit a new location, with this weekend’s show set to be the ultimate example of that trend.

Maintaining that level of interest is a different challenge, and one that might still be a little down the road for AEW. Khan hinted that he could soon have announcements for more shows in the U.K. or outside the U.S. in general, but for now, All In London is a one-off deal.

Still, AEW has already done something skeptics scoffed at by attracting this level of interest in All In, and its TV strength in the U.K. is impressive. It just might be able to “turn” the region into a place where it is indeed the industry leader, and that would make it an even stronger challenger back home as well.

Tony Khan says there will be changes to All In card due to ‘real world’ circumstances

Ahead of AEW All In, Tony Khan suggested that unforeseen circumstances are still causing changes to the card this week.

Very few things in pro wrestling ever go completely according to long term plans. Even the best ideas on paper can be disrupted at any time by injuries and other unforeseen happenings, and the bigger the show, the more things can be disrupted. Evidently, that holds true for AEW All In as well — which is shaping up to be one of the biggest events in pro wrestling history.

During his pre-All In conference call on Tuesday, AEW CEO, GM and head of creative Tony Khan mentioned how grateful he was that the company’s injury luck had been better this summer than in previous years. While he noted Bryan Danielson, Jamie Hayter and Pac would all be missed, he was pleased that nothing had happened to derail other big matches, including the main event pairing of Adam Cole and MJF.

That doesn’t mean that the card is set, however. Khan alluded to both additions and changes that he believed would still take place during the run-up to All In due to unexpected circumstances beyond his control.

“Now I’m going to be honest with you about more stuff,” Khan said. “I expect more changes. They were not changes I wanted to make or planned to make … There will probably be some other changes to the card necessitated by things happening in the real world. In some cases, stuff that’s nobody’s fault, but stuff that is not related to the world of professional wrestling.

“I am going to try to work through this week to make it as strong as possible, actually making the card hopefully better than it has been. But yeah, there will be changes to the card. I plan to add something, and I might have to make some changes in the body of the card as it stands right now.”

Khan said that whether it’s at the post-show press conference or some other time, he would be able to explain why he made any alterations to the All In card.

One obvious candidate for a potential change would be the AEW World Tag Team Championship match between FTR and the Young Bucks, given the news that broke earlier this week about FTR’s Cash Wheeler getting arrested on an assault charge in Orlando. However, Khan specifically singled that match out as one where he did not expect a “status change,” noting that while he is taking the allegations against Wheeler seriously, he didn’t feel that all of the information was available yet to determine what, if any, action AEW might take.

With one episode each of Dynamite, Rampage and Collision still to come before All In, there’s certainly still time to set things up that could affect the composition of Sunday’s show. Fans will undoubtedly be watching even closer this week to see how many and how widespread any changes might be.

Tony Khan on AEW All In merch speculation: ‘I’m bringing a lot of shirts, I can assure you’

Massive demand for merch is a good problem for AEW to have for All In, and Tony Khan says it will be ready.

If you are among the 80,000-plus fans who will be attending AEW All In at London’s Wembley Stadium this Sunday, don’t worry: You’ll be able to buy t-shirts and other merch for your favorite AEW wrestlers.

That reassurance was delivered by AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan during his appearance this week on CNBC’s Street Signs.

“There are great new revenue streams opening up to us,” Khan said to Street Signs. “The video game space is very exciting. We’ve got great action figures. T-shirt sales are going to be through the roof when we go to Wembley Stadium. I’m bringing a lot of shirts, I can assure you.”

His comments appeared to be directed toward speculation that the company, because of its inexperience in running big stadium shows or its reliance on Chicago-based Pro Wrestling Tees as its official merchandise partner, would be unable to meet the massive demand expected at Wembley.

That note of concern was sounded by Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer last month when he was a guest on McGuire on Wrestling. His thought was that AEW simply wouldn’t have the inventory or the number of outlets open to serve such a large crowd.

“They should do $2.5 million or more in merchandise, and I don’t think they will, because I don’t think they’ll have the selection to do it, and I don’t think that they’ll have enough stands,” Meltzer said. “The lines will be too ridiculous. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what they should do.”

Presumably, Khan won’t actually be bringing the t-shirt inventory to Wembley himself, as amusing as that mental image is.

It’s possible we’ll learn more about AEW’s merch plans this week, as Khan will have a media conference call on Tuesday afternoon. AEW All In is set to kick off with the Zero Hour pre-show at noon ET/9 a.m. PT this Sunday, Aug. 27, with the main card starting one hour later.

Tony Khan thinks it would be ‘revenue positive’ for AEW to have more PPVs in the future

Tony Khan hasn’t ruled out adding more PPVs to the AEW schedule in the future as he believes they could benefit the bottom line.

Since its inception, AEW has operated with only four of its own pay-per-views: Revolution in February or March, Double or Nothing in May, All Out around Memorial Day and Full Gear in November. It added Forbidden Door in conjunction with NJPW last year, and that appears it may continue as a summertime tradition.

(For the time being, the jury is still out on what will be the company’s biggest show to date, All In London, as AEW hasn’t revealed its broadcast plans for the Wembley Stadium show just yet.)

For wrestling fans, especially in North America where they’ve been conditioned by an even larger promotion to expect big cards every month, AEW’s schedule of four or five PPVs a year feels cautious, maybe even quaint. Yet there’s something to be said for letting programs have time to breathe without always scrambling to set things in place for the next big card.

So what is the “correct” number of AEW pay-per-views? During a media call this week ahead of the Blood and Guts episode of AEW Dynamite in Boston, AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan suggested there isn’t necessarily an obvious answer — and that he’d certainly entertain the idea that more could be better for AEW.

“Well I think it’s evolving … I believe no wrestling company that has ever expanded its pay-per-view calendar due to demand and economics has ever regretted that decision,” Khan said. “I think in general, there have been factors that have helped pro wrestling companies rise and fall over the years, but I do think that expanding your pay-per-view calendar has often been something that has been seen as revenue positive and has been overall positive for companies.”

Khan added that at a time of “more competition,” meaning the Monday Night War heyday of WWE vs. WCW, more PPVs was the standard. AEW’s strategy was more methodical by design, he said.

If All In sticks around, that would make six PPVs a year for the company. And the number could grow even past that, a topic that apparently has already been broached with AEW’s broadcast partner.

“As for expanding the calendar even further, it’s something we talked to Warner Bros. Discovery about, and it’s something everybody believes could potentially be revenue positive,” Khan said.

So the answer to the proper number of AEW PPVs appears to be whatever makes the most sense and dollars. Just don’t be surprised if it’s more than the five that fans have grown to know and love so far.

Don’t worry, AEW fans: The promotion’s new safety protocols won’t ruin the product

Even with certain limitations, AEW matches should continue to be elite – and more meaningful.

If there’s one thing All Elite Wrestling can consistently hang its hat on, it’s the in-ring action.

From bell to bell, AEW puts on as exciting a product inside the ring as any promotion in the world. The impact from whatever missteps and inconsistencies that exist elsewhere in the company, including a backstage rivalry that has essentially divided the locker room, is lessened by the fact that when the bell rings, AEW can be, at times, electrifying.

With that proverbial ace up its sleeve, AEW has garnered a passionate and dedicated fan base in only a few short years. However, things may begin to look a little different in the ring soon, and some AEW fans are very concerned. 

Fightful Select (subscribe here) was the first to report Thursday that AEW sent a memo to the roster earlier this week outlining some new health and safety protocols for matches moving forward. The protocols range from certain moves and spots needing to have prior approval to some being outright banned. AEW plans to enforce these protocols by fining whomever breaks them.

Let’s pick this apart piece by piece.

First up are the moves that are now outright banned. AEW got rid of unprotected chair shots to the head, which should have been the case from Day 1. By 2019, we had plenty of evidence of the head trauma that could be caused by chair shots. There was never a good reason for AEW to ever allow them. This also includes shots to the back of the head.

Next up are buckle bombs or any move that sends someone backward into the turnbuckle. WWE once banned the buckle bomb when Sting and Finn Balor suffered serious injuries after taking a version of the move. It was apparently reinstated at some point because Seth Rollins is back to using it again. However, AEW is getting rid of them. I honestly believe WWE should do the same.

Then you have fencing response/seizure sells, which probably has Bryan Danielson somewhere seething. All jokes aside, this is pretty much always in poor taste and rarely has the desired effect. Danielson’s version of this at Forbidden Door would fall under both of those categories.

AEW wrestlers can no longer spit, which again, should not be a thing anyway. Spitting has always been disgusting, but you would think after an entire pandemic that we, as a society, would be more conscious of germs, especially when it comes to our saliva. But AEW has to remind everyone not to spit on each other. I don’t think this is going to hamper the product in any way.

For hygiene and legal reasons, AEW wrestlers are no longer allowed to bleed in the crowd. The last thing any company needs is for someone to attain some type of illness because they somehow exchanged blood with one of the wrestlers. That’s horrible overall, but it could also lead to a very, very expensive lawsuit. AEW does not want those problems.

Speaking of lawsuits, the wrestlers can no longer take weapons or projectiles into the crowd. Another thing AEW doesn’t need is for one of the fans to be mistakenly whacked over the head with a kendo stick. Soon after calling a doctor, that person is going to call a lawyer.

Wrestlers cannot physically interact with a fan or allow a fan to hit another wrestler because, again, lawsuits.

But all hope is not lost because there are things AEW wrestlers can still do. They just have to receive prior approval before doing them. That list includes things such as using weapons, spots on the ring apron, intentional bleeding, fighting in the crowd in general, bumping the ref, and any usage of a piledriver.

The list is long, but it is necessary. And like items on the banned list, they should have been in place from Day 1. AEW has employed agents and producers from its inception. If they weren’t already enforcing these protocols, what exactly were they enforcing? Could the AEW wrestlers literally just do whatever they wanted to?

As quality as AEW’s wrestling product can be, it comes at a price. And that price is usually the health and well being of the wrestlers. Left to their own devices, wrestlers are liable to do anything short of dying to make a name for themselves. It is up to the promotion to place governors on them to keep them healthy. It is up to the promotion to protect the wrestlers from themselves.

Even Forbidden Door, a night for AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling to showcase some of the best wrestling in the world, was marred by Danielson fracturing his arm and Kenny Omega being dropped on the back of his head via a Tiger Driver ‘91. Let us not forget that Omega has missed significant time in the last two years due to a variety of injuries. As Omega nears the age of 40, the injuries could have more lasting effects.

AEW diehards tried to talk these incidents down as the price of doing business when you want to witness great wrestling, but these new protocols are proof that the promotion itself saw Forbidden Door and many other nights as a major concern.

What should be of major concern is the quality of AEW’s product. I don’t see how these protocols could dampen anyone’s enjoyment. If anything, they should enhance it as they should make the major moments the wrestlers create even more meaningful.

Right now, everyone in AEW is trying to have the best match of the night and while that is a noble cause, it doesn’t help the flow of the show. It definitely doesn’t help when almost every match has variations of the same spots. The point of the list of moves that require prior approval is so that every single match doesn’t have a ref bump or an apron spot or a dive.

Watch AEW on a weekly basis, and you will see that these troupes are littered throughout the show. But when they happen in almost every match, it loses its impact.

Now, when you see that ref bump, we probably won’t see another one on the show, which makes it more meaningful. We’re still probably going to see a lot of dives because it is such an ingrained part of nearly everyone’s offense.

However, I do believe we will see fewer spots on the ring apron. And guess what? I’m fine with that. Having a spot on the ring apron is not required in order to have a great match.

So fear not, AEW fans. Your beloved promotion is still going to provide you with five hours of quality television on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, you will still chant “Fight forever!” during the events, and AEW will continue to carve out its space in the marketplace.

Remember, the “e” in AEW stands for “elite,” and the promotion will maintain that status, even with some safety protocols.

Tony Khan confirms CM Punk does not own a piece of AEW

AEW President Tony Khan put rumors that CM Punk owns a piece of the company to bed.

CM Punk‘s return to AEW has generated a lot of headlines, deservedly so due to the notoriety he has earned throughout a pro wrestling career with its share of controversial moments.

At All Out 2022, Punk sparked controversy with a brawl and an infamous press conference where he called out Adam Page. In the presser, Punk said that he was “trying to run a business,” which led to speculation that he owned a stake in AEW, kind of similar to Lionel Messi’s recent move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami.

During the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door media call, however, AEW President Tony Khan put a pin in any rumors about Punk owning a piece of the company.

“That’s just a colloquialism,” Khan said. “I own the business, but he’s one of the top stars here and has an interest in AEW being a strong box office business.”

Khan went on to praise Punk for driving interest to AEW’s shows and his overall impact on the company.

“His return is helping us and helped launch AEW Collision with a great rating and he drives interest in our TV shows, pay-per-views, and merchandise,” Khan said. “He’s a huge star for us. He’s definitely interested in the bottom line being strong and he wants the company to do well. That’s a colloquialism, though.”

Punk’s original quote from 2022 seemed to focus on worrying about the AEW business and trying to help it succeed, rather than owning a stake in the company. Plus, a pro wrestler having a piece of a major wrestling promotion would be unprecedented, but as always, never say never in this business.

Punk has only been back in AEW for a few days, but he already has a big weekend ahead of him as he wrestles at Collision and Forbidden Door. The only thing he will own is the ring.

Jaguars VP Tony Khan denies report of interest in Bellator MMA

Tony Khan says there’s no truth to a report that he and his dad are interested in purchasing Bellator MMA.

Jacksonville Jaguars executive vice president Tony Khan vehemently denied a report that he and his father, Jaguars owner Shad Khan, are a party interested in purchasing Bellator MMA.

“I was surprised to see that report,” Tony Khan said, in part, via mixed martial arts reporter Jed I. Goodman. “I haven’t had any conversations with them about that, so I don’t know what that was about. My father hasn’t had any conversations with them either. I’m not even sure who you talked to. I don’t even know, honestly, who owns the promotion. Is Scott Coker the owner? Or the president? I’m not sure.”

On Wednesday, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani said on his show, The MMA Hour, that the Khan family were among the interested parties in Bellator.

“I can also tell you that the Khan family has looked into [Bellator],” Helwani reported on the show. “To what degree is unclear.”

Bellator MMA is a promotion that has existed since 2008 and is currently owned by Paramount Global. It is reportedly in talks to be sold with Professional Fighters League (PFL) among the favorites to acquire the organization.

In addition to the Jaguars, the Khans own Fulham Football Club of the English Premier League and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Tony Khan serves as the president of AEW and has multiple executive titles with Fulham F.C.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Tony Khan says AEW not locked into brand split

Tony Khan admitted he would use “certain talent on certain shows” but otherwise dismissed rumors of an AEW brand split.

Questions have arisen regarding whether AEW will implement a brand split to accommodate its large roster across two major shows as it prepares to premiere Collision on June 17. The initial press release included wrestlers who will feature, including Samoa Joe and Thunder Rosa, with CM Punk later announced as a main player, so some type of roster divide seemed possible.

AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan had also teased that he was excited to discuss something more, potentially hinting at the possibility of a brand split.

Just days away from the first episode of Collision, Khan addressed the topic with Brandon Walker on Barstool Rasslin’, stating that while certain talent will feature on certain shows, there is no locked-in roster split (h/t Fightful for transcription).

“I am going to feature certain talent on certain shows, but I haven’t drawn any hard lines or locked us into any kind of split of a roster. I think people are gonna be featured on certain shows, but I also think that gives us a great opportunity to showcase certain wrestlers on both Dynamite and Collision at certain times and certain stories that can cross the shows. I think the champions of AEW will be the champions on every show, and frankly, every promotion in the world. We’re not shy about the AEW wrestlers going out and taking on the top stars, top competition from other companies,” Khan said.

Khan also said that AEW can utilize its roster better with five hours of television, implying that Rampage will remain important.

The roster we have is so strong, I believe we have so many great wrestlers, it’s impossible to showcase them all in three hours of television. Now, it’s a much better opportunity with five hours of television. Across five hours of television, we can really utilize the roster much more frequently and utilize our great wrestlers more than they’ve ever been used before, so I’m very excited,” Khan said.

AEW will have plenty of time to utilize its roster and provide more people with a chance to showcase their talents. This should create more storylines and opportunities. It remains to be seen how this will affect the company’s pay-per-views, considering those shows already run about four hours apiece. However, with multiple major shows taking place this summer, we’ll soon have an answer to this.

Tony Khan says CM Punk is ‘very important’ to AEW

Tony Khan made it seem like CM Punk’s return from injury was a happy coincidence with the debut of AEW: Collision, but … probably not.

In May, Tony Khan announced that, after weeks and months of speculation, CM Punk will be a featured player on AEW: Collision when it premieres on Saturday, June 17. Punk had been a staple of AEW programming for about a year, so the company will have a headliner back for its shows and subsequent pay-per-views.

The backstage brawl at All Out infamously marred Punk’s first return, along with the subsequent press conference about the incident. Coupled with a handful of injuries, his stint ended unceremoniously.

Khan, of course, is thrilled that Punk is returning to headline Collision after nine months. Now that the news is out, AEW’s president said that the former WWE star is a “very important” part of the puzzle in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“We haven’t seen CM Punk in a long time, since All Out last September. He looked great in his last match. To the fans, he’s very important. He’s very important to the company, too. He’s been a big draw for us and historically throughout his career, and the launch of the new show happens to line up with the schedule on his rehab of his triceps injury.”

Khan also said that Collision’s timing coincided perfectly with Punk’s return from a triceps injury, allowing him to appear at the show’s premiere in Chicago.

“We have an amazing opportunity with AEW on Saturday nights on TNT, starting June 17, and it was truly the brainchild of [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president] David Zaslav. He asked about more AEW, specifically Saturday nights, on TNT. When it was pitched to us by TNT, I was so excited. It’s so exciting the timing [of Punk’s return from injury] coincides with the launch of Collision.”

What Punk does on Collision remains unknown, but it should become clearer as the show’s premiere nears. Perhaps Khan clarifies it in his planned announcement on the June 7 episode of Dynamite.