AEW head Tony Khan expressed a desire to see Forbidden Door isn’t just a one-time deal but doesn’t envision adding more AEW PPVs to the schedule soon.
Just like Hollywood starts thinking about sequels before promising new movies even hits theaters, Tony Khan has already thought of what a Forbidden Door 2 might look like even before the first one hits Chicago on June 26.
AEW’s president and CEO has mentioned his hope that Forbidden Door might become an annual event in passing, but spoke in more detail about that possibility during a media call on Friday.
“I’ve thought a lot about it, and we’ve already discussed the possibility of Forbidden Door 2 based on the success already we’ve had from this event, selling well over a million dollars in tickets,” Khan said. ” … I think it’s been so successful of an event that we have to plan to do it again.”
Khan’s enthusiasm comes despite the challenges he admitted were part of putting the collaboration between AEW and NJPW together this year. Injuries to top stars CM Punk and Bryan Danielson have received a lot of attention, but Khan said there were logistical hurdles even before they got hurt, noting that he wished he was able to have top NJPW talent like Kazuchika Okada on TV earlier than he was available.
Forbidden Door is also an addition to AEW’s schedule of pay-per-view events, which has held steady at four per year so far. Khan said he’s considered what expanding that slate might look like but doesn’t expect it will happen soon.
“It has crossed my mind,” Khan said. “We have great events that we’ve built up from the beginning. I think when we launched, that was the number that made the most sense for us … and now the company has become something of a global powerhouse.
“I think there is definitely the star power in AEW to support more events. They would produce more revenue for the company. It’s something to consider, but it’s not something I imminently plan to get into either.”
Khan added that every AEW PPV so far in 2022 has shown an improvement over 2021, and that he hoped All Out, which should be announced for September, would keep that streak going.
For now, however, his focus is on sticking the landing for Forbidden Door, ensuring that fans want to see it become a perennial affair.
“Hopefully we’ll do many Forbidden Doors going forward based on the success of this one.”
AEW President and CEO Tony Khan released a statement on Jeff Hardy explaining his status in the company following his recent DUI arrest.
AEW has suspended Jeff Hardy without pay following his recent arrest for DUI and two related charges, but will work with him to try to get him sober.
The company’s stance was revealed today on Twitter by AEW President and CEO Tony Khan. His tweet stated that AEW has been in contact with Hardy and that the 44-year-old wrestler had expressed a willingness to get treatment for his substance abuse issues, but that he would only be able to resume his career upon completion of that treatment.
Hardy’s status had been the subject of much debate throughout the pro wrestling community since word broke of his arrest in Volusia County, Florida in the early morning hours of June 13. The DUI charge — his third in less than 10 years, making it a third-degree felony under Florida law — was seen as a sign that he was once again losing his battle with sobriety, and even worse, that he may hurt others as a result of his behavior.
Subsequent details of his arrest did nothing to lessen that impression, with police documents showing that Hardy had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit when pulled over, and video obtained by TMZ detailing the full nature of Hardy’s disorientation during his interaction with law enforcement officers.
Jeff’s brother Matt, with whom he had reunited as a top tag team in AEW, tweeted out that he was “disheartened” by the news but pledged to help him in any way possible.
It was disheartening to hear the news about my brother yesterday. Recovery isn’t a linear process & I’ll continue doing whatever I can to help my brother be healthy. Being healthy & well is the most important thing for Jeff, his wife, his children & our family at this time.
The Hardys were scheduled to take place in a three-team Ladder Match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship on Dynamite this week. But the promotion had stopped advertising the match following Hardy’s arrest, and reports surfaced suggesting that AEW broadcast partner Warner Bros. Discovery had asked the company not to promote Hardy in commercials or on TV.
Khan’s statement leaves the door open for a potential return at some point, but only if Hardy is able to get and stay sober, which is a position everyone in the wrestling world is likely to back at this point.
Tony Khan was asked about the MJF situation during the post-Double or Nothing press conference but made it clear he wouldn’t discuss it.
MJFshowed up for his match at AEW Double or Nothing, losing to Wardlow in a satisfying and logical end to their ongoing feud. But that seemed in doubt for a bit over the weekend, and Tony Khan shed no light on the reported drama after the pay-per-view.
Khan was asked about MJF during the post-show media scrum, but it was clear that was one topic he wasn’t willing to discuss.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Khan said. “I’ve got a lot of stuff from the pay-per-view that I can comment on, but I’m not going to comment on that.”
MJF’s status for Double or Nothing became the subject of much intrigue on Saturday, when he failed to show up as scheduled for a meet and greet session as part of AEW’s Fan Fest. That was followed by reports that there was a plane ticket out of Las Vegas in his name, raising questions about whether his earlier absence was an elaborate work or the latest signs of his unhappiness with his AEW contract.
Once the Double or Nothing pre-show began and he was still being advertised, it was likely that at the very least, AEW expected him to perform. He did just that, though he never got on the microphone — a rarity for one of the best talkers in the business — and he briefly ran around with his arms spread when he took the ring, an apparent reference to the Saturday speculation.
There remains a chance that the whole situation is a real issue that AEW is playing close to the vest, either to use as storyline fodder down the road or simply to keep the continuing dissatisfaction of one of its brightest young stars from exploding even more. But questions will continue to be asked, and every upcoming episode of Dynamite is going to have some of them floating around in the back of viewers’ minds.
Tony Khan answered questions about a Ring of Honor TV series during a recent conference call, saying he hoped ROH would be back on TV soon.
Good news for wrestling fans who would like to see Ring of Honor on TV: Tony Khan hears you, and he does too.
That works out nicely since Khan is the owner of ROH, having acquired the promotion earlier this month. So far, it’s held just a single show under his leadership, Supercard of Honor XV, but has also had some crossover with Khan’s other wrestling company, AEW. Samoa Joe is currently the ROH World Television Champion, FTR holds the ROH World Tag Team Championship, and the ROH Women’s World Championship was recently decided on an episode of AEW Dynamite.
Still, one of the questions from the media during Khan’s pre-Double or Nothing conference call on May 26 was whether there was a timeline for TV or live events for this latest iteration of ROH. And while he didn’t commit to a date, Khan did say he has been talking to AEW’s broadcast partners, Warner Bros. Discovery, about plans that could include regular shows for ROH as well.
“I would love to get Ring of Honor weekly TV series, or streaming series, wherever it ends up, going very soon, and it’s something that I am working on and I think would be awesome for the fans,” Khan said. “And I’m hopeful that we’ll have Ring of Honor TV and also continue the great calendar of Ring of Honor pay-per-view events.”
ROH had a TV presence under its last owners, Sinclair Broadcast Group, but it didn’t have the same reach AEW enjoys under its deal with TNT and TBS. Similarly, the company started up its own HonorClub streaming service, but an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery would open the door to services with much larger audiences, including, in an ideal world, an expanded HBO Max.
One thing fans shouldn’t expect is for ROH to be completely absorbed into AEW, as Khan confirmed in another part of the conference call that the two promotions would continue to be run separately, though with continued crossovers where it makes sense. He also answered a question about why the purchase was made through a separate acquisition company, noting that “at the time, I thought it would make sense to just jump on it,” as opposed to any contractual obstacles playing a part.
Most of all, what came through during all ROH discussion on the call was Khan’s belief that it can follow up its recent 20-year anniversary by continuing to be a strong, vibrant brand of pro wrestling in its own right. If he has his way, that will include a return to TV sooner rather than later.
“I think the company is in the strongest position it’s been in a long time, or frankly ever, with our love and support and the fact that I really care about Ring of Honor,” Khan said. “So everything we’re doing to grow and nurture that business going forward, but also with my financial resources behind it — and combining that with what I believe is some acumen for this business — I think Ring of Honor will be in its best position possible.”
If MJF leaves for WWE at the end of his contract, it would be painful for AEW, but also a sign of how far the company has come.
Maybe MJF is executing a long-running work on professional wrestling fandom when he talks about his impending free agency. If he is, props to him. If not, it stands to be one of the more fascinating stories that will play out in the industry over the next year or two.
There’s no question that MJF is a bona fide star. Just watching one or two of his best promos, like the one he cut in his hometown of Long Island during Dynamite this week, can convince nearly anyone of that. He’s got a way with words, and more importantly, the innate sense of how to connect with crowds, that all of pro wrestling’s biggest icons have had.
His in-ring work is also above average, and at just 26, his best years are almost certainly still ahead of him. Free agents that check all the boxes the way he does simply don’t come around that often … and he knows it.
That’s why it’s been so intriguing to hear him work his knowledge of his own self-worth into his character. While he’s been talking about what he might do when his current contract is up (Jan. 1, 2024, in case you somehow haven’t heard him mention it yet) for some time — and not so subtly hinting that he’d consider heading to WWE — the most blatant example of it was during his interview on The Ariel Helwani Show a month ago.
When you say flat out that you could “bite oft Tony Khan’s fingers” and it wouldn’t matter, suffice it to say you’re feeling pretty strong about your negotiating position.
Yet the ultimate decision date for this particular negotiation is still a long way away. The most recent reports by Fightful Select say the two sides aren’t any closer to an extension now than they were a month ago, and that MJF is leaning toward not re-signing. But a year and a half is approximately forever in the wrestling business, where things can and do change on a dime.
It’s an even longer horizon for AEW, which is only three years old as a company and has a lot to work out in its own right before the end of 2023. Foremost among those items is a new television deal, as its current agreement with TNT and TBS expires next year.
(That situation has become much more complicated over the past few months, with a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery creating Warner Bros. Discovery, and the GM of TNT and TBS during the time AEW signed its TV deal exiting the company. It could easily be the topic of its own column.)
Maybe the next TV deal AEW signs is even more lucrative than the current one, and contains provisions for streaming and the like. If that’s the case, it’s possible that Khan simply throws a ton of money at MJF, he stays in the fold, and this was all just a lot of fun speculation masterfully kept on the minds of fans and journalists by MJF himself.
But let’s consider the other, much juicier scenario: MJF leaves and signs with WWE.
It wouldn’t be the first time a big name wrestler had gone in that direction. Cody Rhodes left AEW for WWE earlier this year, making a splashy debut as the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38. It was a move that surprised many since Rhodes was one of the driving forces behind the creation of AEW in the first place, and had an executive role in the company to boot. His choice to return to WWE had to sting all throughout AEW.
Losing MJF would hurt even more. Unlike Rhodes, MJF has no prior work history in WWE, and would be heading there by choice to see if he could continue his success with an even bigger platform. Having an EVP switch back to a previous employer is one thing. Watching one of the supposed foundations of your company, a man on whom the future was going to be built, is something else entirely.
That said, there’s something of a silver lining in this worst case scenario for AEW: If MJF decides to take his talents elsewhere, it would be the biggest confirmation to date that AEW is legitimate competition to WWE.
Consider that MJF has made no bones about the fact that he’s seeking a big raise in his next contract, and to acquire him, WWE would have to outbid AEW. It wouldn’t be doing that to put him on NXT (especially not in its current, talent development-heavy incarnation), but to present him as A Big Deal, right away. Unlike Rhodes, who was a known quantity to fans who only watch WWE programming, this would be a homegrown AEW star being positioned as someone important — and not just any wrestler, but one of the four pillars, someone just about to enter his prime.
Not that WWE would mention AEW by name, of course. Some things never change, and avoiding even the appearance of having competitors has worked pretty well for the company over the years. Even left unsaid, however, this would be a powerful message: This performer became a star somewhere else, and we brought him here because he think he’ll be a big attraction here too. That wouldn’t be the case if the “somewhere else” wasn’t relevant in its own right.
Keeping MJF should be, and probably is, the focus for Khan and AEW management. Seeing him walk would be rough, but would also be the most significant validation so far that AEW has arrived in a way that no other No. 2 U.S. wrestling promotion has in the 21st century.
It’s going to be an entertaining 18 months until we find out which way it ends up.
Tony Khan said on the Swerve City podcast that he “misread how happy the fans would be” for Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti.
Tony Khan figured that since AEW fans cheered Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti separately, they’d like them even more as a power couple. Imagine his surprise when the reaction was exactly the opposite.
Indeed, fans have been lustily booing Guevara and Conti in recent weeks, leading Khan to switch gears with them creatively. It’s had a ripple effect as well: While Scorpio Sky, partner Ethan Page and American Top Team head honcho Dan Lambert were clearly supposed to be the heels when they first started having issues with Guevara and Conti, Sky has pivoted to be a fan favorite, and Page seems to be teetering on the edge of a switch as well (Lambert … not so much, at least to date).
As Khan explained on a recent appearance on the Swerve City podcast, he simply didn’t expect fans to react the way they did when presenting the two wrestlers as a couple (h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription).
“I was really happy for them, so maybe I misread how happy the fans would be for them,” Khan said. “So, I think I have course-corrected that. You don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. I like Sammy, I like Tay, the fans like Sammy, the fans like Tay. I like Sammy and Tay together, the fans do not, and that’s where we differentiate, so that’s what I have come to accept.”
It would be easy to criticize Khan after the fact for thinking that Guevara, who had proposed to his then-girlfriend Pam on AEW programming not that long before, would be greeted warmly while parading around with Conti. But the important thing is that the double turn has been made, giving Guevara a chance to capitalize on his knack for saying things to get fans riled up. This is one “course correction” that likely will prove to be the right one.
Tony Khan and Doug Pederson seem like they will get along just fine as both have something in common in terms of ways to help the Jaguars.
The Jacksonville Jaguars head coach search took way longer than many fans were hoping for, but in the end, they were somehow lucky enough to end up with a solid offensive mind in Doug Pederson. It was a search that probably not only took a toll on the fans, but the team’s future owner in Tony Khan, who sat in on every candidate’s interview (at least once) in person or virtually.
Needless to say, he became familiar with Pederson in the process and is excited to have his offensive and coaching knowledge in the building. In an interview with First Coast News, Khan had nothing but praise for the former Super Bowl winner and said he especially likes the fact that he’s and analytics and data-driven mind, which is something both share a passion for.
“I’m so analytics driven and data driven and Doug is a data driven coach, which was so important to me during the search,” Khan said. “Trent (Baalke) is very analytics driven from his time in San Francisco and went to the Super Bowl with a team where a lot of the team was built on stats.”
Fans have long known Khan’s commitment to the analytics and data aspect of the game, and the same applies to Pederson. In fact, the second time head coach added some help in the department this week by hiring Ryan Paganetti, who will serve as the Jags’ director of coaching analytics. He will join the team after working under Pederson throughout his whole run with Philadelphia as a head coach.
First Coast News also took the time out to ask Khan about the biggest question on the minds of Jags fans at the moment and that’s the status of their search for an executive vice president. And while he wasn’t able to provide much, Khan said he’d be helping with the search just as he did during the coaching search.
“I’m in there and we’re all working together and I think now with Doug in we have a great group of people that like working together with my dad and me, with Doug and Trent,” Khan said. “I think we’ll add an EVP and have a really good room.”
Khan told First Coast News that his father and team owner, Shad Khan, would have the final say on who is named the executive vice president, but it’s unknown when the decision will be made. The only known interview the Jags have had was with former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, but that was back in early February.
With the front office being understaffed, it seems like naming a new leader in the front office needs to happen sooner rather than later. Then again, maybe the plan is to hire the executive vice president after free agency and the draft, but based on general manager Trent Baalke’s past, it would be wise to have someone in place before then.
In this week’s episode of “Touchdown Jaguars!”we looked at the top needs for the Jags heading into the NFL Combine. Progressing forward, we will continue to put out weekly episodes, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment.
Khan said he would like to see Taylor in the ring but that he’d rather see him in the Hall.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, who has been retired since 2010, is best known as one of the better running backs in the league. But now that his playing career is over, Jaguars co-owner and executive Tony Khan thinks he could have another calling.
Khan also owns All Elite Wrestling, and he was asked which non-wrestling athlete he would like to see fight in the ring. He said that his choice would be Taylor, and he used the question as an opportunity to lobby for Taylor’s selection in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“(Taylor) was one of the greatest running backs ever, I think Fred Taylor belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Khan said. “There’s only two running backs in the history of the NFL who ever carried the ball 2,500 times and maintained an average of 4.6 yards per carry or more, only two ever: Barry Sanders and Fred Taylor.”
The Jaguars finally got their first player in the Hall of Fame last week, as former offensive tackle Tony Boselli was elected as part of the 2022 class. Many feel that Taylor’s time is coming as well.
“I was here with him last night to celebrate that Tony Boselli’s in the Hall of Fame, finally, which is long overdue also. And now I think hopefully we can also get a second Jaguar in the Hall of Fame, Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith… I think would both be great candidates.
“So Fred Taylor getting in the ring I think would be awesome, and Fred Taylor getting in the Hall of Fame would be even better.”
Taylor may not be making his wrestling debut any time soon, but an appearance in Canton seems a lot more likely. He’s yet to be a finalist, but that could be set to change in the coming years.
Tony Khan understands that the Jags need help at tight end, which is why he’s be open to Urban Meyer’s decision to work out Tim Tebow.
The 2021 NFL Draft is now in the rear-view for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the team was able to add several contributors in the process. One area they weren’t able to address as aggressively as they wanted was tight end, though they acquired Luke Farrell, a blocking threat, in the fifth round.
With the need for a pass-catching athlete at the position, the Jags have many routes they can go, and one know route they’ve looked into is potential acquiring an option that isn’t in the NFL, specifically Tim Tebow. A report surfaced last Thursday from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, stating that the Jags were interested in Tebow.
Schefter’s report also went deeper into the details, stating that Tebow had worked out with Jags’ tight ends coach Tyler Bowen, who joined the staff this year. This led to Jags’ front office member and son of Shad Khan, Tony Khan being questioned recently about the former Gators quarterback on Bleacher Report’s Draft Wrap show, and while he couldn’t say much, he did express that Jags coach Urban Meyer had confidence in his former player.
“I can’t say too much, but Tim has come in and worked out as a tight end,” Khan said. “That’s not the position we’ve seen him play, but that’s the position that he’s been practicing at with us. So, that will be interesting to see how that contributes us on offense, too.
“But obviously, Urban knows Tim very well and Tim’s got a great history of winning and Urban really believes he can help us. I think it makes a lot of sense at a position where we need to get better.”
While nothing is set in stone, it sounds like Tebow has a chance to earn a contract before the Jags start their key offseason events. If it happens, it still feels unlikely that the 33-year-old would make the final 53-man roster after moving to a position he’s never played and being absent from football since 2015.
As many Jags fans are aware, Meyer coached Tebow at Florida from 2006-09, where they won a national title together in 2008. Eventually, Tebow’s success sent him to the NFL where he became a first-round selection for the Denver Broncos (2010). He was eventually traded to the New York Jets in 2012 and had two preseason stints with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, in 2013 and 2015.
After his football career, Tebow entered the professional baseball realm, reaching Class AAA in the minor leagues (for the New York Mets). This preseason, he made the Mets’ spring training roster but decided to retire in February.
The Jags’ interest comes as Meyer purchased a home on the same block as Tebow’s Jacksonville area home in the Glen Kernan Golf & Country Club. Earlier in the offseason, Meyer said he’s kept in touch with Tebow (and many other players he knew) over the years, so there was plenty of chances for the conversation about football to pop up.
With boxing legend Mike Tyson in Jacksonville for a taping of AEW “Dynamite,” Jags HC Urban Meyer got a chance to meet him at Daily’s Place.
One of the unique things about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ facility, is that they sometimes share it with Tony Khan’s wrestling league known as All Elite Wrestling. That gives the team ample opportunities to meet with legends in the combat sports community, which was once again the case Wednesday.
With boxing legend Mike Tyson set to make a guest appearance for AEW and their mid-week show on TNT entitled “Dynamite,” there was some downtime before Wednesday’s taping for him to meet and talk with Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer. During the episode the two were briefly seen having a discussion in the flex-field at daily’s Place and even got a chance to snap a picture together.
(Warning: Spoiler for the latest episode of AEW “Dynamite” ahead)
Tyson has done business with AEW in the past, making an appearance where he got into a brawl with wrestling legend Chris Jericho. However, the two squashed their beef as Tyson came out to give Jericho a hand against The Pinnacle Wednesday.
Tyson has also attended a Jags game in the past and showed his support on the sidelines. He was at their primetime game in 2019 against the Tennessee Titans. The Jags went on to win that game by a score of 20-7.
#fbf Iron @MikeTyson in #DUUUVAL watching the @Jaguars win on Thursday Night Football! I’m excited that Mike is coming back to Jacksonville next Saturday for #AEW Double or Nothing! And I think we might see Mike at some more Jags games in the future too, he has the winning touch! pic.twitter.com/UgJJwRjhRd
