Tony Khan believes WWE‘s counter-programming efforts against AEW are very much intentional.
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was a recent guest on The Ariel Helwani Show. When asked about WWEâ€s recent efforts to counterprogram AEW and if itâ€s being done on purpose, Khan said he believes itâ€s being done on purpose and itâ€s something thatâ€s been happening in the wrestling industry for decades now.
“I do think itâ€s done on purpose, and I understand it,†Tony Khan admitted. “Itâ€s part of wrestling, and I think weâ€ve seen a lot of it. But I think other wrestling promotions that have been the challenger wrestling brand in our lifetime have seen a lot of it. Jim Crockett Promotions, which was the forerunner to WCW, saw a lot of this.
“And Jim Crockett Promotions ended up having to sell the company to Ted Turner, who then made a great run. It took a while, and really, if you look, Ted Turner took over at the start of 1989. And the strongest run came over six years later, almost seven years later. It started really when business peaked and took off in their peak years.
“So itâ€s interesting, because as a challenger wrestling promotion, youâ€ve got a great opportunity, but itâ€s really hard. It involves tons of investment to build up to be a true, strong challenger, and thatâ€s why we took the risk with AEW when we did. I do think that weâ€ve seen that kind of counter-programming and those things, and I understand. And looking back at wrestling history, kind of expect that.
“[Does it frustrate you?] I think itâ€s okay, because for us, itâ€s always worked out, and weâ€re in a great position. So it hasnâ€t ever been a thing where itâ€s cost us anything. And even when you do something like AEW All In Texas. Where we do the show in the afternoon, it really worked out for us great. And it was one of the best days in the history of the company. “
Tony Khan doesnâ€t take WWEâ€s counterprogramming efforts personally
When asked if he takes the counterprogramming personally, Khan said that he didnâ€t and believes itâ€s no more personal than it was with Jim Crockett and Ted Turner in the past.
“Well, itâ€s very interesting. I think that itâ€s something that is a part of the wrestling business, and I definitely donâ€t take it personally,†Tony Khan said. “I think itâ€s no more personal to me than it was towards Jim Crockett, or even maybe less so than it was with Ted Turner, or similar amounts as with Ted Turner.
“But definitely, I think all of us have seen that kind of counter programming, and could speak to that, and certainly with AEW, Iâ€m very proud that we continue to really run strong and be that great challenger brand in pro wrestling. AEW is where the best wrestle. I really believe that. And I think we have the best roster in wrestling today and the best wrestlers and put on the best shows like this Saturday.â€
WrestleZone will have live coverage of AEW Full Gear later this weekend.
READ MORE: Tony Khan Explains Whatâ€s Keeping Chris Jericho Off AEW TV
What do you make of Tony Khanâ€s comments? Do you think WWEâ€s efforts to counterprogram AEW have been effective? When WWE and AEW programming are on at the same time, which program do you find yourself watching live? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show with a link to this article for the transcription.
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