Tag: Tony Khan

CM Punk has returned to AEW — now the real work begins

The return of CM Punk doesn’t solve all of AEW’s problems, but it can help the promotion get back to its creative peak.

In the immortal words of San Andreas resident Carl Johnson, “Ah crap, here we go again.”

AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan announced during the May 31 episode of Dynamite that the promotion’s biggest name, CM Punk, was returning to the company beginning with the premiere episode of AEW’s newest television show, Collision, which is reportedly being dubbed “The Second Coming.”

The announcement comes after nine months of sneak dissing and mudslinging from both sides of this proverbial ego-measuring contest between Punk and The Elite. Khan’s announcement, in theory, would mean the end to all of the nonsense, which in this case, means pretty much anything that does not involve making money for AEW.

In reality, the real work is just beginning for Khan and the rest of the promotion’s staff.

Let’s make one thing clear: Yes, I do believe Khan’s announcement was an effort to help boost slumping ticket sales — not necessarily for the first episode of Collision, which takes place in Punk’s hometown of Chicago and is already nearly sold out.

This is more about the ensuing episodes of Collision, which have reportedly not sold as well. From that standpoint, AEW made the right decision. I understand that fans still love the element of surprise. “But imagine the pop,” some fans say.

But you can’t promote a business based off “the pop.” You have to advertise what you are trying to sell, and in this case that means, telling everyone Punk is going to show up, unlike “The First Dance” in 2021 when Punk appeared unannounced (we all knew anyway, but still).

Believing that surprises are the way to go in wrestling is more a product of us being conditioned after watching multiple promotions repeat said formula for the last quarter century. It’s just that no other entertainment entity follows that model.

If Drake has agreed to appear at an awards show, you better believe that awards show will announce it ahead of time. The NFL spends months promoting the Super Bowl halftime show, and that’s not even why most people are watching the game. But you wouldn’t be able to tell with the way the NFL promotes it.

The reality for AEW is that it could not afford to keep Punk as a surprise because of those lagging ticket sales. As it is with the Khans’ Jacksonville Jaguars, business is pretty good in the United Kingdom. When it comes to All In, business is booming there. Back home, there’s a different story to tell.

And while the story may change for the better for the Jaguars gaining a division title, a playoff win last season, and overall stability, AEW hasn’t exactly been hitting on all cylinders since Punk abruptly left last September.

So fine, AEW has issues selling tickets. So what? Punk is back, which means all is well with AEW’s world again. Right?

Not quite.

The task ahead begins with managing the egos and personalities on AEW’s roster, which apparently, the promotion didn’t do well the last time Punk was around. Wondering if two sides can coexist has become fodder for bad WWE storytelling over the years, but for AEW, it’s a legitimate concern.

After all, despite all of the headlines that came out of All Out and the ensuing months, what did AEW actually gain from all of it? I would argue nothing other than making it look like AEW ran a sloppy shop. AEW can ill afford to revert back to that perception.

This all could be made even more complicated if AEW follows through on the reports that some sort of brand split could be on the way. Who goes where? Who’s considered to be one side of the Punk-Elite divide versus the other? Add that to the list of things AEW decision makers could lose sleep over.

The work also extends to the on-screen product, which some believe (myself included) has taken a step back since Punk’s sabbatical. It wasn’t a huge regression, but it was a step in the wrong direction nonetheless.

Now Punk is back, which means there are no excuses for AEW. The on-screen product simply must improve.

It is time for AEW to get its stuff together, right the wrongs of last year, and get back to producing the best television product in wrestling. If you haven’t noticed, WWE has done its own backsliding in quality since WrestleMania. AEW has largely been unable to capitalize, but now that Punk is back and healthy, maybe that can begin to change.

AEW Dynamite preview 05/31/23: Adam Cole, Chris Jericho aren’t done with each other

Here’s what is in store for this week’s AEW Dynamite from San Diego.

Sometimes a match with a particularly violent stipulation is the end of a beef that’s been spilling out into the open for some time. Other times it’s merely the springboard into even more battles, and that appears to be the case with tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from San Diego.

Adam Cole (bay bay) and Chris Jericho went to war at Double or Nothing over the weekend, with Cole winning their Unsanctioned match by referee stoppage — a result that left Jericho fuming to the point that he threw a fireball at a backstage staffer. He’s a wizard, remember?

Anyway, the two men have made it clear they haven’t put their issues behind them, and they’re bringing partners into the fray too: significant other Britt Baker for Cole, and Outcasts leader Saraya for Jericho. You may recall that Saraya was part of the vicious attack on Baker that Jericho masterminded, which was a big part of this whole program, so the two women should be itching to get their hands on each other as well.

Another program that appears set to continue on is the one that’s pitted two of AEW’s most high profile stables against each other, Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite. The latter group got a boost for the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing with the return of Hangman Adam Page, but it proved to not quite be enough.

Why? Well, the BCC had an ace up its sleeve (appropriate for a pay-per-view in Las Vegas) in the form of Konosuke Takeshita. Perhaps we should have seen his betrayal of The Elite coming since he was being recruited so heavily by Don Callis, who recently turned on longtime friend Kenny Omega.

But alas. In any case, we’ll hear from Callis and Takeshita “for the first time since Anarchy in the Arena,” which is pretty funny since that was only three days ago.

Last but hopefully not least, AEW says Tony Khan will have an announcement about the debut episode of AEW: Collision on June 17. Unless it’s about CM Punk, it’s hard to figure out what’s left to discuss, though it is also the weekend before Forbidden Door so maybe there’s something NJPW-related he wants to tease. Or whatever.

Dynamite is ready to roll on TBS at 8 p.m. ET tonight, and there are no NBA or NHL playoff games so it’s calling to be the centerpiece of your Wednesday evening. We’ll have full Dynamite results here on Wrestling Junkie should you decide to do something else anyway.

Tony Khan says competition from WWE hasn’t always been ‘ethical’

Tony Khan expressed some displeasure with how WWE has competed with AEW without naming the other company flat out.

With only so many days in the week, pro wrestling shows inevitably intersect and compete against each other. AEW Dynamite, upon debut, aired simultaneously on Wednesday nights with WWE NXT, which eventually moved to Tuesdays.

Now, AEW and WWE programming will cross over again, as Double or Nothing and NXT Battleground both happen on Sunday, May 28.

On Thursday’s Double or Nothing media call, when asked if it feels like a rivalry between AEW and WWE, AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan said he welcomes the competition, as long as it’s ethical.

“I think it’s been that feeling from day one since we launched the TV show, and it probably changed a little bit on April 14, 2021,” Khan said. “It feels like the old days, in some ways. I’m always eager to compete in whatever arena I’m in, and I really love the competition in pro wrestling — as long as it’s done with some ethical standards.

“If people run events at similar times, I don’t know if that’s necessarily unethical. I don’t have a big problem with it. I wish everyone the best, and I expect we will do the best show on Sunday. I think there will be a big audience for AEW Double or Nothing, but certainly, that spirit of competition is something that we’ve dealt with since the launch of AEW. I have never had any problem with it, as long as it’s an ethical competition, which I don’t always think it has been, coming from the other side.”

Khan did not specify what had been unethical.

Once Collision starts running on Saturdays, the competition will escalate, as that is the same day WWE usually hosts premium live events. But if WWE eventually runs a premium show against an AEW PPV on a Sunday, it will be interesting to see how all sides react.

Tony Khan says AEW: Collision plans have been ‘intentionally secretive’

Tony Khan says he has ben keeping things close to the vest with regard to who will or won’t be on AEW: Collision.

Before AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan officially announced Collision, the promotion reportedly planned for a hard brand split between its two main weekly shows. While the press release announcing Collision’s official launch identified select talent that would appear on the show might be interpreted as a step toward a brand split, nothing confirmed it as AEW’s plan.

With an expanding talent roster that only grew this week with Aussie Open’s arrival, a brand split would allow more wrestlers time to shine. When asked about this potential plan on his Double or Nothing conference call Thursday, Khan said he has been “intentionally secretive” about who will appear on Collision.

“I haven’t given a lengthy explanation yet for what I’m planning regarding the future of the roster and how people will be allocated across Dynamite and Collision and our other shows,” Khan said. “It’s a great question, certainly. I can see why wrestling fans all over the world would be interested and curious about that. That’s frankly by design that we want to build curiosity and get people wondering exactly what you’re asking, ‘What’s the future of the AEW roster, and what does this all mean going forward after Double or Nothing?’

“It’s a really good question and something we’ll be excited to follow up on.”

AEW has confirmed that Collision’s first show will take place at the United Center in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago, continuing speculation that Punk will headline the event, although his return has not yet been officially announced.

When asked about rumors of who will or won’t be at the show, and if he will announce things closer to the premiere date, Khan said he’s purposely acting coy about his plans.

“I have been a little intentionally secretive about where this is all going,” Khan said. “I do plan on rolling out more information as we get closer to the launch of Collision, but right now, I think we built great anticipation. I expect great sales for the first event at the United Center. I’m hoping that will lead to a lot of momentum on Saturday for Collision.”

It hints that more Collision announcements lie ahead, whether it’s Punk’s return, more signings or a declaration about a potential brand split. Either way, Khan clearly has more up his sleeves, and with three weeks until the new show’s debut, he will have every chance to build more anticipation.

Tony Khan explains why Craven Cottage will not host AEW All In

Why Wembley Stadium for AEW All In London and not the stadium where the Khan family’s soccer team plays? Tony Khan explains.

In a year of big news for AEW, including the weekly Saturday night show Collision, announcing Wembley Stadium as the venue for All In topped everything. Over 65,000 tickets have been sold for this ambitious show in the spirit of the first All In from 2018, a self-promoted event that sold over 10,000 seats.

Outside AEW, CEO and GM Tony Khan has other responsibilities, including assisting his father Shad’s soccer club, Fulham FC, who play at Craven Cottage in London. Surprisingly, he did not choose this venue for All In.

In an interview with TalkWrestling, Khan said he chose Wembley Stadium due to superior logistics to Craven Cottage for hosting the event, and the ability to sell more tickets at the former (h/t Fightful for transcription).

“Those are two of my favorite places in the world. Craven Cottage is literally a home to me. I would love to do any big event in Craven Cottage. Wembley offered several things that we just couldn’t possibly do at the Cottage. In this case, the load in, logistically at Craven Cottage was going to be pretty much impossible. It would have been really hard to make it a big scale event there based on how challenging it would be load set, the ring, and all the elements for a big wrestling show into Craven Cottage. The Cottage was built in 1879. We’ve done a lot of renovation, to say the least, on the riverside in recent years, but Wembley offered us a less challenging load in, and also the ability to sell many times more tickets. We’ve already sold twice as many tickets as we could have sold at Craven Cottage. I really wish that would have come off, but Wembley is also one of my favorite places in the world. This is, to be honest, my first choice of where to do the show, at Wembley Stadium,” he said.

Ultimately, it’s about making money. Craven Cottage holds about 25,000 people while Wembley Stadium can nearly quadruple that, and with the continuing success of ticket sales, it seems Khan chose wisely.

Who is on the AEW creative team: Who is helping Tony Khan?

The buck stops with Tony Khan, but he’s not alone when it comes to generating ideas for AEW creative.

For a while, the creative team of WWE have made headlines, including hirings and firings, but less so for AEW’s brain trust since it’s mostly Tony Khan.

However, AEW’s creative group recently changed with former Fightful and Grapsody podcast host Will Washington’s arrival as Wrestling Administrative Coordinator. His role, among other directives, includes creative.

With the addition of Washington, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) offered some clarity about who books AEW’s shows with Khan, who has the final say.

QT Marshall and Sonjay Dutt are the “Co-No. 2’s” to Khan, who creates an outline for each show. Along with Washington, Pat Buck, Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels and Dean Malenko all contribute to AEW’s creative process.

Fightful Select also added this weekend that Buck is “heavily” involved, “especially with MJF-related content.”

Team aside, talent like Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and CM Punk all have “significant” input into their creative direction. Omega and the Young Bucks have held executive vice president titles since AEW’s creation.

This team will stay busy indefinitely with the weekly show, Collision’s debut near. Along with Dynamite, Rampage and Ring of Honor, it’s more than enough to handle, especially with how many wrestlers AEW rosters.

It’s hard to know how much input each member of this creative team has, making critiquing one or the other, let alone Washington, difficult. The buck stops with Khan, though, as it did with Vince McMahon, and now, Triple H, in WWE.

With a number of major AEW events this summer, the creative team has plenty to ponder. Double or Nothing arrives first on Sunday, May 28, before Forbidden Door, All In at Wembley Stadium and All Out just one week later to close the summer. It’s a crucial time for AEW, so every move they make, and every step they take, will be watched.

Tony Khan has no comment on CM Punk’s likely AEW return

AEW boss Tony Khan is famous for not revealing much in his interviews, but he definitely is keeping it close to the vest regarding CM Punk.

Maybe pro wrestling’s worst-kept secret, CM Punk‘s impending AEW return, has everything pointing to it beyond an actual announcement. Soon, the weekly Saturday show (heavily rumored to be called Collision) will be announced as well, which he is expected to headline.

Punk’s return date points toward AEW’s show in Chicago on June 17. When asked about it on Maggie and Perloff, AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan declined to comment and spoke about the city instead (h/t Fightful for transcription).

“I can’t comment on that, but I do think it’s very exciting is running a lot of big events. Chicago has been one of the best cities for AEW for a long time and I’m very excited to be back there. It’s a home city to me, personally, growing up in Illinois and spending most of my life there until my dad got involved in the NFL. It’ll be great to be back in Chicago for AEW,” he said.

While Khan obviously won’t spoil the plans in an interview, no-commenting Punk’s return only adds fuel to the fire of his probable comeback on AEW programming. The date and city already align, as do the plethora of rumors about what will happen when he comes back.

Khan also provided a similar answer in the same interview, when asked about Punk’s infamous altercation at All Out.

“I can’t really comment. I haven’t talked about that particular situation since it happened, specifically. In the time since, AEW has continued to hit new heights and grow and I have a lot of respect for all the people you just said as professional wrestlers, and we have a great company going right now. With a big announcement coming next week, we’ve been able to sustain and continue to develop as a wrestling company.”

With only weeks until the Chicago show, plans for Punk’s return have been hinted at, from working with Chris Jericho to his old rival Samoa Joe. Sooner than later, the wrestling world will undoubtedly know what Punk will do  — maybe when Khan makes his big announcement next week.

AEW is about to enter its most pivotal summer yet — and needs to capitalize

AEW looks like it has a huge hit on its hands with All In London, but it needs other moves it’s making to be equally successful.

It’s been more than four years since All Elite Wrestling was born, and the company has already managed to accomplish quite a bit.

It’s a got lucrative national television deal and has garnered a dedicated and loyal fan base, so much so that the promotion has already sold 50,000 tickets for All In, which is set to take place in one of the most famous venues in the world, Wembley Stadium.

AEW CEO, GM, and Head of Creative Tony Khan said the event has already generated a gate of £5.2 million, which according to his tweet, is $6.5 million. It’s already shaping up to be one of the biggest wrestling shows of the year and no matches have even been announced.

I can count the number of promotions in the world even capable of selling that many tickets on one hand, let alone in such a historic venue like Wembley Stadium. AEW is firmly one of those promotions.

Khan took a victory lap on Twitter, and deservedly so. Selling that many tickets is to be celebrated, as something like this was deemed impossible just five years ago.

However, this coming summer presents a new set of challenges for the young promotion.

Before one ticket stub is scanned at Wembley in August, AEW must first deal with the return of its most notable star, CM Punk.

In case you missed it, Punk has been on an extended hiatus from the company since last September after excoriating multiple members of the roster during a press conference (after winning the world title, mind you), which forced him to have to physically fend off said wrestlers — namely Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, who also happen to be EVPs in the company — who went looking for him after the presser.

And the timing couldn’t have been worse, as WWE was finding its footing creatively under Paul “Triple H” Levesque in the beginning of what we thought was the post-Vince McMahon era.

It’s been eight months since that occurred, and it’ll be nine before Punk is reportedly set to return to AEW on June 17. Eight days later, the promotion will host its second annual inter-promotional pay-per-view, Forbidden Door.

Because of this, it’s imperative that Khan and the other decision-makers in the promotion smooth out any tension that may still exist between the two sides, as the company can ill-afford a sequel to All Out. 

Regardless of whose side you choose in the matter, AEW was the ultimate loser. Why? Because it lost the services of Punk for a nearly a year. And according to Khan himself, “no one wrestler has ever come in and made a bigger plus-delta financial difference in the history” of AEW.

Punk’s star power aside, it is also important because June 17 is expected to be the debut of another wrestling AEW television program reportedly called Collision. And because the wounds of last year’s All Out are still open for some, AEW is reportedly considering splitting the rosters between Dynamite and its newest program.

I feel like such a move is unnecessary, but if AEW deems it to be so, then it has to be done right. Don’t resort to the lazy storytelling tactics of WWE and just have wrestlers pop up on other brands just for the sake of it. Give each show its own identity, unlike WWE where the signature colors of Raw (red!) and SmackDown (blue!) are the only real differences between them.

If all goes according to plan, AEW should have a smashing success on their hands with All In at Wembley Stadium not just financially, but creatively as well.

With McMahon suspected to be back behind the controls behind the controls of creative in WWE, and the expected dip in quality that brings with it, AEW has a real opportunity this summer to flex its muscle and showcase its resiliency from a rather turbulent 2022. 

Are Saudis, Tony Khan-led coalition the only realistic WWE buyers left?

A reported asking price of $9 billion would change the calculus of acquiring WWE for a number of companies.

When it was first revealed that WWE was exploring “strategic alternatives” that included a sale, the thought was that there would be a number of interested bidders. Mature entertainment businesses with global followings and proven track records of delivering live audiences and TV viewers aren’t easy to find, so a number of media companies and even tech giants like Amazon were logical candidates to inquire about an acquisition.

Yet that field might have been winnowed down quite a bit since the beginning of 2023. The reported asking price of $9 billion — a higher multiple of both its annual sales and adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization than most entertainment companies — could be a potential sticking point, with Fortune, among others, suggesting it would scare off some potential buyers.

Endeavor, the talent and media agency conglomerate that owns UFC, sounds like that number is too rich for its blood. Media companies, which need the sale to make sense for bottom line reasons, may balk as well.

Who does that leave as potential buyers? According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestleTalk), maybe just two entities: the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which has long been thought to be interested, and a group led by AEW owners Tony and Shahid Khan.

(Tony Khan) has expressed interest, but for him to get it, he’d have to take in a lot of partners to get it. Which is not out of the realms of possibility — they could put together a giant deal.

But aside from that — the Saudis and the Khan family — nobody else has publicly expressed interest in buying it, and the price is … in theory the price is very high, they threw that $9 billion figure out.

Unless the Saudis have pretty much agreed to go with 9 billion, which is a very highly inflated figure that I don’t think anybody else would meet, then that’s probably where it’s gonna go.

From a fan’s perspective, both sets of hypothetical new owners come with downsides. The Khans buying WWE would undoubtedly make the internet melt down and cause an initial wave of excitement in some corners, but having the two biggest U.S. promotions under the same umbrella would be a net loss for talent in terms of their professional alternatives.

A sale to the Saudis would almost certainly mean Vince McMahon would stay heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of WWE, maybe even returning to calling the shots creatively. Add in the Saudis’ track record on human rights and it’s a marriage many would find distasteful.

Until a deal is announced, a WWE sale ranks as one of those things that isn’t worth worrying about until it happens. But it is interesting to ponder how a once seemingly wide open field of potential bidders may now be down to just a couple of realistic options.

No dates, details yet on AEW in the UK but ‘next year is definitely the plan’

Happily, next year is almost here.

AEW fans in the UK, and specifically London, it sounds like your wait to see a show in person might not be too much longer. We just don’t know exactly how long it will be just yet.

The company created a buzz by revealing its plans to hit London sometime in 2023 ahead of Full Gear. During the press conference following the show in Newark this past weekend, AEW GM, CEO and Head of Creative Tony Khan was asked when more specifics would be revealed, but he said they aren’t quite ready at the current time.

“I have not got the exact details on the date of that,” Khan said. “I think all we’ve announced is that we’re coming in 2023, and our first AEW event in the UK is going to be in London. We’re still working through some of the details.”

Khan noted that AEW just did its first international show of any kind in 2022, when the promotion visited Canada in October, calling it “pretty complicated.” But he also felt that experience would help when venturing to additional markets.

“We learned a lot by going to Canada, and I think we can parlay it into our first overseas trip,” Khan said. “And then also, I think it can be really good revenue for the company. Today was our fourth straight pay-per-view with over $1 million in live ticket sales, and it’s the fifth event this year that we did that.

“We’ve never done that before this year. It’s a new milestone, and I think that’s potentially the kind of business we can do in the UK, which is pretty exciting.”

And while the bad news is that people in the UK hoping to see AEW up close won’t be rushing online to buy tickets at the moment, the good news is that 2023 is right around the corner.

“Next year is definitely the plan, and it’s crazy because it’s already mid-to-late November here, so next year is right around the corner.”