– Tony Khan offers his opening thoughts about Full Gear and how the event begins AEW’s holiday season.
– First question is about the AEW women’s championship match between Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone. Khan says he is “blown away” by Mone’s work ethic, given her work schedule and wrestling in other promotions alongside AEW. Khan calls Statlander one of the division’s leading women and discusses her path to her current championship reign.
– Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp follows up on Khan’s interview with Ariel Helwani about lessons he’s learned from AEW over the years. He admits there are things he would do differently, but can’t go back in time, so he tries to learn from the past and change them the next time. He admits he wishes he could have had The Briscoes on AEW sooner.
“I wanted to have The Briscoes on an AEW show, and I tried really hard. And I think that’s one of the things I think about all the time, like how things could have been different. I can’t, and there’s nothing I could have done differently and I did the best I could. That’s probably one I think about the most, to be honest, like every day.”
– Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer asks about AEW’s relationship with WBD, relating to the sale and HBO Max. Khan admits there’s only so much he can discuss. He says that as AEW has grown, the more ingrained the company is with WBD.
“We’ve effectively been inherited by new managers. They’ve come in and helped us grow the AEW business and backed us and really supported us. I think it’s really incredible what the regime running Warner Bros. Discovery has done and continues to do to this day to support AEW. And I’m very grateful for David Zaslav and everybody for what they are doing for us. They’ve continued to promote and create opportunities for AEW week in and week out from the launch of Collision to the expansion of AEW events onto HBO Max to the simulcast of Wednesday night Dynamite and Saturday night Collision and now the pay-per-views on HBO Max.”
Khan believes AEW is in a “tremendous position” with WBD with a year left in their media rights deal. He says he is “optimistic” about AEW’s future despite the uncertainties with the WBD sale and believes AEW is in a good position thanks to the fans.
– The next question is about the AEW National Championship and the goals around it. Khan notes that while AEW is based in the United States, the company also works with promotions around the world, and the new title is an opportunity to spread its wings.
– Khan talks about his and AEW’s relationship with the media. He relates it to other sports like football and soccer and praises wrestling media, whether they be from small or large outlets.
– Next question points out how AEW has this weekend to itself, and Khan admits he didn’t think about that. He promotes Full Gear, calling it one of AEW’s most consistent PPVs. He notes how in three out of the last four years, the Prudential Center hosted Full Gear. He talks about valuing fan feedback.
He reflects on Death Before Dishonor’s PPV issues and deciding to stream the show for free and comping fans for the event. He noted how it got more eyeballs on ROH and the positive feedback fans had to the decision.
“You may see that again on the ROH YouTube because I think it’s done really well and brought great attention to that when we’ve had some events.”
He adds there’s been positive feedback from YouTube-exclusive ROH shows.
– Khan is asked about Kazuchika Okada being announced as Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final opponent, which will be featured on Wrestle Kingdom 20. He says the announcement fit well with New Japan’s schedule and says it was always the plan for Okada to be Tanahashi’s opponent. He says he met with Tanahashi, who is president of NJPW, and he was excited about wrestling Okada, who also met with Khan. He praises the business success of the match and how well of a send-off it will be for Tanahashi.
– Khan is asked about his philosophy on the number of titles in AEW, including ROH.
“For AEW, the revenue is primarily driven by TV and PPV, and we produce many hours of TV and PPV. We also produce a lot of live events, and we produce about 100 shows a year and several hours per week.”
Khan continues and points out that this was different than the start of AEW, which only produced Dynamite and had no association with ROH. That’s changed, including the title additions of ROH, specifically to the women’s division. He notes the addition of Collision along with the relationship with “WBD,” which he calls the “lifeblood” of AEW. There are more hours of TV and more PPVs than before, so AEW’s model has changed since its start.
– Khan is about the first-ever women’s Blood and Guts match and his reaction to it. He says WBD was happy with the match and highlights the positive fan reaction to it, while expressing how grateful he is that there weren’t too many injuries coming out of the match. He notes he met with the women before and after the match and was proud of the work they put, even the men, too and says it’s something they’ll do again in the future.
– The next question is about Keith Elliot Greenberg’s book, “This Book Is All Elite.” Khan clarifies that while he spoke to Greenberg about the book, he did not produce it nor have any input on it. He praises the book and says he hopes to finish it when he gets the chance.
– Khan is asked about the possibility of another Wrestle Dynasty in Japan. He admits there likely won’t be one in 2026 but praises the ticket sales for Wrestle Kingdom 20. He hopes there could be one in the future but says NJPW is focused on Wrestle Kingdom at the moment and adds that NJPW is open to it, too.
– Khan closes the media call by promoting the Continental Classic and says participants will be announced early next week, pending any potential injuries coming out of Full Gear.