Browsing: Khan

AEW Dynamite will be airing a daily earlier this week for their annual Title Tuesday episode with Collision airing the next night. It’s not the first time they are running on a Tuesday night and it also isn’t the first time that they will be going head-to-head with WWE’s NXT brand but this time , it’s a no-win situation for Tony Khan and company.

NXT has been doing crossover promotion with TNA for the past few months, and it all looks set to come to a head (creatively, at least) this Tuesday. The show was initially named Invasion, playing on the old 2001 PPV imagery and really pushing the idea that TNA could be a threat to NXT, but due to the historical significance of October 7 to Israel and the Hamas attacks, WWE changed the name to Showdown.

The card for Showdown, as of this writing, looks pretty much finalized with both companies putting their biggest talent forward in elimination matches in addition to a winner takes all Tag Team title match between The Hardyz and DarkState.

By contrast, Dynamite (again as of this writing) only has a Mercedes Mone open challenge confirmed for the card in addition to match between Brodido and Konosuke Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada that may be postponed due to Bandido’s injury and a street fight between The Hurt Syndicate and The Demand.

We saw during the Wednesday Night Wars that both companies were more than willing to try and get ahead of each other in terms of television ratings, but it’s looking this time that Khan may be focusing more on the ongoing television creative week-to-week rather than hotshotting their own version of a supercard together to combat what is going on at The CW.

The problem here is that Khan and AEW are pretty much in a no-win situation and, ironically, it’s almost a complete flip from where NXT was back when AEW started airing on Wednesday nights in 2019.

Why Tony Khan can’t win

Khan and AEW are in a difficult position and when I say that they can’t “win,” I mean from a perception standpoint: AEW can either beat WWE’s third brand by loading up and doing a random one-off card, or they lose outright to WWE’s third brand.

The NXT of 2025 is not like the NXT of 2019 or the years proceeding. Long gone are the days when NXT TakeOver shows would be the highlight of a PPV weekend with the likes of Adam Cole, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Johnny Gargano, etc. putting on cards that would rival anything else in the industry.

Now, we’re genuinely seeing a developmental brand where either established names begin to learn the WWE style (Ricky Saints, Ethan Page) or younger names get their reps in on television (Trick Williams, Lola Vice).

So how do you approach this situation if you’re Tony Khan? Do you keep serving the television audience and stay the course with your current storylines, or do you try and counteract what WWE is doing on Tuesday night? From a perception standpoint, AEW simply cannot win either way. They either look flustered by the competition or they just hope that they have enough going creatively to beat a big invasion-esque storyline.

Why WWE and TNA will win

So if Khan and AEW can’t win on Tuesday, does that mean that WWE and TNA will actually win? Yes, it does. TNA is more than likely heading to The CW on Wednesday nights to compete head-to-head with AEW, and it’s a defacto way for WWE to go head-to-head with AEW without an actual branch of the company having to do so.

If TNA ends up beating AEW, that’s great for WWE business. But if they don’t? It’s only TNA will be the excuse. TNA gets a huge push in terms of branding on Tuesday night ahead of their new television deal set to be announced and NXT gets a differential and a big moment on Tuesday when the two brands collide — all without it actually looking like a hotshotted show to compete with Title Tuesday on TBS.

If AEW does better ratings than NXT? Well, it’s AEW’s biggest weekly show so it should be doing better ratings from a perspective standpoint, and WWE can essentially lay the blame at TNA’s door. If NXT vs. TNA beats AEW in the ratings, it’s a genuine perception changer for TNA. At least, that is how they will try to position themselves ahead of a potential Wednesday night move and WWE will get one over on the only real competition left with zero risk.

Triple H was in charge of NXT when AEW were beating them on television weekly and it led to Vince McMahon completely changing how NXT worked as a brand. With Triple H now in charge of creative on the main roster, there has to at least be a part of him that relishes the idea of sticking it to Tony Khan and AEW Dynamite one more time with “his” brand.

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On the September 10 edition of “AEW Dynamite,” Toni Storm and Skye Blue battled in a Philadelphia Street Fight, which was one of the most extreme matches on the company’s flagship program this year. Kendo sticks, a staple gun, a street sign, and a garbage can were used throughout the contest, but nothing was more gruesome than watching Storm go through a table of mouse traps on the outside of the ring. Storm would eventually pickup the win after twelve minutes of nonstop action, leading AEW President Tony Khan to call the match one of the best street fight’s in women’s wrestling, while putting over the New-Zealand born star as possibly the greatest performer in the industry today.

“One of the greatest hardcore women’s street fights you’ll ever see with Skye Blue challenging the champion, Timeless Tony Storm, who I think is the top star arguably in the entire sport and one of the really important people in AEW,” Khan said in a recent interview with Barstool’s Frank The Tank. “I think one of the really important wrestlers in the world is Timeless Tony Storm who transcends TV and the star stage and screen as well.”

Despite having defeated Blue, Storm would lose the AEW Women’s World Championship in her next match at AEW All Out, as Kris Statlander pinned her to capture the title in a Four Way Match with Jamie Hayter and Thekla.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Frank The Tank Fleming” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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As a pro wrestling fan before a wrestling promoter, Tony Khan knows the significance of the arenas he books shows in, and often themes the show around the history of the building. Not too long ago, AEW held shows out of the fabled ECW Arena, where he gave tribute to ECW legend Taz as well as one other notable name. In an episode of his “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast, Jeff Jarrett explained how the tributes came to be as well as why they were significant.

“Tony did the, I would call it, the induction of Taz into the…Hardcore Hall of Fame, and so, you know, it’s my understanding that Tony was looking for ‘how do we pay tribute to the history of that arena?'” Jarrett said, adding that Blue Meanie and Jeff Jones explained to him how important the arena was to ECW. “[Tony] came up to me at the wedding and we had a quick conversation, and so I kinda got the heads up and started connecting the dots, and it all came together.”

Jarrett then praised Khan for his knowledge about wrestling and for his efforts to get names like Doug Gilbert, the younger brother of Eddie Gilbert, who booked ECW before Paul Heyman, and for giving a tribute to Eddie as well.Â

“There were so many different stories, and I got a chance to share just one of them in the tribute,” Jarrett noted, explaining how he and Eddie had a lot of history. “He was really good to me, I mean, when he came in and worked the Tennessee territory a couple times. I mean, we go so far back.”

Jeff Jarrett also recalled Sting’s touching tribute to Eddie Gilbert

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Another notable name who made an appearance at the 2300 Arena was none other than “The Icon,” Sting, who also shared history with Eddie Gilbert. Looking back at Sting’s contribution to the tribute, Jeff Jarrett also praised his friend for sharing a story about Gilbert. “I knew, just as a real casual, Jim Hellwig – Ultimate Warrior – Steve Borden – Sting – came to Tennessee and they were the Blade Runners,” he noted, recalling how both men were hired by Bill Watts back in the day. “Immediately, those two guys got paired up with Eddie Gilbert. Behind the scenes, Eddie was booking, loved the business, and he tried to teach them.”

Jarrett noted that Sting’s tribute ended up bringing so much heart to the night and also praised Tony Khan for his vision for the event. “Sting said that it was the two years that he spent with Eddie Gilbert, and the next thing he knows he’s working main events,” Jarret added, recalling how Sting claimed this led to his legendary feud with Ric Flair. “And Sting, honestly and candidly said: ‘When I look on my career and look back on it, and Tony’s mindset to pay tribute’ and Sting admitted, which I thought was just incredibly vulnerable but so real, he’s like: ‘It gave me a real hard look to really think without Eddie’s tutelage and care and passion for the industry, and willing to help me, I don’t know if Sting has the career that he had…'”

‘Without Eddie Gilbert’s vision, is there an ECW?’

Eddie Gilbert’s time as the booker of ECW occurred when the promotion was still known as “Eastern Championship Wrestling,” before breaking away from the NWA and eventually being headed up by Paul Heyman. But, because of this, Jeff Jarrett believes that the legacy of ECW can’t be spoken of without Gilbert. “Eastern Championship Wrestling, the precursor to ECW, Eddie was the driver, Eddie was the visionary, Eddie was the booker,” Jarrett noted. “And so, when you think about Eddie’s position…without Eddie Gilbert’s vision, is there an ECW?”

Jarrett then pivoted back to Tony Khan, pointing out how anybody can be a fan of professional wrestling without knowing stats, but expressed how blown away he is that the AEW President understood the respect and position Gilbert had in the industry. “My hat’s off to Tony, because I’ll say: knowing the straw that stirred the drink, I just got so much respect for that. And Tony? That’s what his tribute was about, let’s pay proper respect to the guy that gave you the straw that really stirred the drink in Philadelphia,” he said. “There would not be an AEW Dynamite, Collision, for three consecutive weeks – a Ring of Honor pay-per-view – in that building had it not been for Eddie Gilbert’s vision.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “My World with Jeff Jarrett” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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In December 2020, AEW star Brodie Lee passed away of pulmonary fibrosis at 41 years old, with his death resulting in a wave of anguish among wrestlers and wrestling fans. Days after his death, AEW held a tribute show in his memory, resulting in one of the more beloved episodes of “AEW Dynamite” in the show’s history. Speaking with Forbes ahead of tonight’s six-year anniversary edition of “Dynamite,” Tony Khan reflected on the impact Lee left on everyone at AEW and around the wrestling world.

“We’re very proud of Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Huber and what he brought to AEW,” Khan said. “Jon was a great guy in a wonderful family, and he loved wrestling. And it’s a testament to Jon Huber, and Brodie Lee as a wrestler, that the first two things anybody’s going to say about this guy are he loved his family, and he loved wrestling, and the wrestlers and people that he worked with.”

Khan praised Lee for helping invigorate the company in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when AEW was holding shows with a limited live audience at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Looking back on the tribute show held in the wake of Huber’s death, Khan still feels they succeeded at honoring the wrestler’s legacy.

“I think that’s the singular best event in AEW history,” he stated.

The Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of “Dynamite” took place on December 30, 2020 at Daily’s Place. It included five tag team matches featuring people who knew and worked with Lee, and ended with Lee’s wife and two children being awarded a special TNT Championship belt before a tribute video played to close out the show.

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Orange Cassidy discussed his popularity, working with Tony Khan, and his place in AEW history during a recent interview.

Cassidy will challenge Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship on AEW Dynamite tonight in Hollywood, Florida. It will be the 6th Anniversary episode of the show, with Cassidy having been a day-one star with the promotion. He told The Sportster that he credits his success to Tony Khan allowing him to present his vision of the character, and to wrestling fans for believing in him even before AEW started.

Cassidy said:

“I think it’s really the fans’ fault because they were very open and receptive before AEW, before Tony Khan really knew who I was, and they were reacting. I think it allowed them to be like, ‘All right, well, if they’re reacting, he must know something that we don’t.’ I was very lucky that the fans were reacting to what I was doing.”

Cassidy noted that he continues to work very close with Khan.

“He still works very close to me about what I’m doing. It’s nice to have your boss understand what you’re doing and facilitate it. I could have got pigeonholed somewhere else. It could have been the same thing we see all the other times, but I think he allowed me to do this stuff because he also knew that I wanted to wrestle, too. That was nice.”

He added that heâ€s grateful for his spot in AEW history, saying that when you think of AEW, you also think of Orange Cassidy.

“I’m just very grateful to be a part of AEW and to be a part of the history. I do like that when you think of AEW, you have to at least think of me, and that feels very special.”

Cassidy also discussed working with Sting, Chris Jericho, and wrestling in Florida. The full interview from The Sportster is available here.

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Tony Khan isnâ€t backing down as WWE continues stacking premium live events against AEW programming. With Title Tuesday set to air on October 7, 2025—directly opposite WWEâ€s NXT Invasion special—fans are gearing up for another round of the Tuesday Night War. But according to Khan, AEW is thriving like never before.

Speaking on Going Ringside, Khan was asked if WWEâ€s frequent counterprogramming has been frustrating from a business perspective. His response? AEW isnâ€t just surviving—itâ€s dominating.

“Well, weâ€re having a great year. Weâ€ve been able to stick and move and make it work really well for us. Thereâ€s always going to be tough competition. And in this sport, itâ€s very tough competition—a kind of competition that makes you work really hard 52 weeks a year.â€

Khan pointed to real numbers backing AEWâ€s momentum, especially when it comes to cable ratings and streaming.

“Not only have we added HBO Max and put new viewers on streaming, weâ€ve got more people watching the shows on cable than we did last year. For Dynamite and Collision, the audience has gone up.â€

He even addressed the critics who doubted AEWâ€s simulcast strategy would work.

“If you look where we ended up in Q4 of 2024, each quarter weâ€ve been going up—building our audience on TBS and TNT—while thereâ€s also people watching on HBO Max. Itâ€s kind of the opposite of what the analysts had predicted when we started simulcasting.â€

For Khan, 2025 isnâ€t just business as usual—itâ€s record-breaking.

“So, weâ€re still seeing great returns, great audiences on cable, and Iâ€m really excited about it because I think that 2025 right now—this year—has been maybe the best year of AEW ever.â€

And when it comes to pay-per-views, Khan made it clear AEWâ€s latest offerings are setting a new standard.

“The pay-per-views—you mentioned pay-per-views—weâ€re doing our best pay-per-views weâ€ve ever done. If you say, you know, from the past six years, what are the top 10 AEW pay-per-views? I think thereâ€s a good chance five out of the 10, six out of the 10 would be from this year.â€

With Title Tuesday bringing AEW home to Dailyâ€s Place in Jacksonville and NXT Invasion rolling out big matchups on the CW Network, fans are about to face a tough decision. But if Tony Khanâ€s words are any indication, AEW is more than ready to steal the night.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

Do you think AEW will outshine WWEâ€s NXT Invasion on October 7? Which show will you be watching live? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

September 30, 2025 10:04 am

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Tony Khan is making it work.

While talking to Going Ringside with Scott Johnson, AEWâ€s president said that despite WWE making moves to counterprogram their big shows this year, the company has been able to make everything work despite the competition.

“Well, weâ€ve been having a great year. Weâ€ve been able to stick and move and make it work really well for us. Thereâ€s always going to be tough competition and this sport, itâ€s very tough competition, the kind of competition that makes you work really hard 52 weeks a year,†he said.

Khan noted that the company has been having a great year, putting over their strong ratings. He noted that more people are watching Dynamite and Collision than last year, the opposite of what analysts predicted.

WWE has often run programming to go head-to-head with AEW, and in the last year has used NXT to run shows against AEWâ€s pay-per-views on the same day. WWEâ€s biggest move was running their first ESPN PLE, Wrestlepalooza, against AEWâ€s All Out event. AEW chose to move their event to the afternoon. The move seemed to be a success, as the show held up well in buys despite WWEâ€s aggressive move.Â

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AEW President Tony Khan has faced criticism for many things since founding AEW, but it is almost unanimous — except for a person or two — that he is a great boss, as Toni Storm recently reiterated.Â

Storm, who has flourished under Khan in AEW, recently spoke with former ECW star Sandman on his podcast, highlighting Khan’s importance to her and to the pro wrestling business, and stating that he is a great person.

“Well, I’m not really sure on how he’s actually perceived. I assume everyone adores him. He’s like the nicest fu**ing guy ever, with like the best of intentions, and he just loves wrestling so much. And, yeah, I just love the guy,” said Storm. “He’s the best, and he works so hard. He’s obsessed with this sh*t. He’s like so into it.”

The former AEW Women’s World Champion believes that the futures of a lot of pro wrestling talent hinge on Khan, further expressing how much he loves pro wrestling.

“It’s literally just, if we didn’t have him [what would we do?]. If he just wakes up tomorrow and is like, ‘I don’t like wrestling anymore.’ It’s like, all right, the end. No one loves it like he does.”

Storm said that Khan is a great guy and the coolest, adding that she loves working under him. She joked, however, that Khan — the heir to a billion-dollar empire — is in it for the money when a panelist on the podcast claimed he wasn’t. Storm recently praised Khan for the way he leads the AEW team behind the scenes, revealing that all ideas must receive his approval, even though she has tried to sneak a few in. Storm has been one of AEW’s most important female stars over the past few years, and her over-the-top character has been widely loved in the promotion.

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AEW isnâ€t backing down in the ongoing Wednesday night battle with WWE. During the September 24 episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan finally pulled the trigger on a long-rumored move—introducing womenâ€s tag team championships.

Near the end of Dynamite, Khan appeared on-screen and declared it was time to bring something new to the division. Without dragging it out, he revealed that AEW would be introducing womenâ€s tag team titles this year, and a full tournament to crown the inaugural champions will be announced soon.

Right after Khanâ€s announcement, Renee Paquette took over live in the arena to show off the brand-new championship belts. Both titles were displayed on a podium, revealing a dual design that stays true to AEWâ€s visual style while giving the womenâ€s division something fresh to chase.

This move to introduce womenâ€s tag team gold signals AEWâ€s intention to strengthen the depth of its female roster. With stars like Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and The Outcasts gaining momentum, thereâ€s finally a reason to build real alliances and rivalries in the tag division. AEW didnâ€t just tease a shift—they delivered one.

Are you excited for AEWâ€s womenâ€s tag team titles? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

September 24, 2025 9:53 pm

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Recently, there have been reports claiming that people in WWE refer to AEW President Tony Khan as ‘Snowman.†Current AEW star MVP shared his thoughts on the aforementioned report.

MVP was a special guest on TMZ Sports†Inside the Ring. During the episode, MVP shut down the rumors that Tony Khan was referred to as ‘Snowman†backstage in WWE.

“I donâ€t know where that came from. I donâ€t know who put that out there. The only snowman I know is Jeezy. Thatâ€s not anything Iâ€ve ever called him. I havenâ€t heard that. You got to remember, man, these people that run these, what are traditionally called dirt sheets. Itâ€s all clickbait. They put shit out there because they want people to click and read the story. Itâ€s just gossip passed off as legitimate journalism, and itâ€s laughable.†[H/T WrestlingNews.co]

The former WWE United States Champion also commented on wrestling personalities leaking information to the ‘dirt sheets.â€

“I think itâ€s a real bitch move to go and leak rumors about people you might like or dislike to the dirt sheets. Thatâ€s lame.â€

The ‘Snowman†dig at Khan was used before, although it happened in a public way. In February 2023, Ariel Helwani referred to Khan by the nickname after Khan insulted him and accused him of being a biased journalist. This was after Helwani blasted a recent interview he did with Khan, calling it one of his all-time worst.

Read More: MVP Questions WWEâ€s Decision To Maximize Profits By Pricing Out Longtime Fans

What are your thoughts on the dirt sheets?

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