Tony Khan reveals why AEW is signing fewer free agents in 2025: "This is where the best wrestle"

AEW has grown from strength to strength ever since the promotion was founded back in 2019. The Jacksonville-based company has become a real challenger to the juggernaut that is WWE, and they don't look like slowing down anytime soon.

Since the company's early days, they have signed quite a few free agents that helped keep the roster fresh, but that is something that has slowed down recently. All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan recently revealed the real reason behind the company signing fewer free agents in 2025.

While speaking on the Battleground podcast, Tony Khan said that he feels 2025 is the company's best year since its existence. He also revealed that the bar is very high for wrestlers to enter the roster now, leading to a lower number of signings.

"It’s a great time to work here. AEW is a fun place to be. It’s a great place to ply your trade as a wrestler. And we’re looking for the very best. This is where the best wrestle. AEW has the best wrestlers in the world — and we intend to keep it that way. So absolutely, it’s a very high bar to make it onto this roster, and we want to maintain that quality moving forward," Khan said.

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Tony Khan delighted with AEW reaching a wider audience

Tony Khan was delighted with the company's growing reach following their partnership with Max earlier this year. He credited the partnership with the streaming giants with helping the promotion reach a wider audience, reaching people who didn't have access to TBS or TNT.

"Well, there’s a very good perception about AEW in 2025. This company’s doing great shows. Honestly, this feels like the best year ever in AEW. There was a major change at the start of the year that definitely created a fresh, exciting environment — with the simulcast, every Wednesday we do wrestling on TBS, every Saturday night on TNT. And now we’ve got those shows streaming live on Max at the same time. It’s opened up a whole new audience for us," Khan added. [H/T Ringside News]

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The promotion's popularity has grown consistently, and that has led them to host major events each year. It was recently confirmed that they're heading back to an iconic New York venue this December. Moreover, All In: Texas is set to be the company's first-ever event in an American baseball stadium.

About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Arsh Das