5 Things we learned from Tony Khan about AEW
AEW, AEW, AEW! That's what some wrestling fans are chanting everywhere. Unless you've been hiding under a rock or turned into Rip Van Winkle, it's hard to miss. AEW has certainly had all the hype behind it. All Elite Wrestling was rumored for a while but it was made official on Jan 01, 2019. From then on, the company has been releasing details month after month via a drip-drip marketing strategy.
They caused a sensation when they signed Chris Jericho to the promotion and to a 3-year deal. They also signed Kenny Omega, who some in the wrestling industry consider as the best wrestler in the world who is not with WWE. On top of that, they even signed Jim Ross, as Cody Rhodes colorfully put it when it happened, 'Because he's Jim F****G Ross.' Recently, it was announced that Dustin Rhodes (Goldust) has signed with AEW and will be facing Cody Rhodes at AEW Double or Nothing.
The rest of the AEW Roster is shaping well with the likes of "Hangman" Adam Page, Joey Janela, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Pac, Sammy Guevara, Pentagón Jr., Rey Fénix, Britt Baker and Penelope Ford. It's most likely that more announcements might be on the way.
AEW seems to have a different buzz about it when compared to Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling or ROH. While those promotions have been around for a while now, it seems that AEW has leapfrogged them in terms of anticipation and excitement without even putting an official match on. And that's what so interesting about AEW because there is more to come.
Recently, Chris Van Vliet spoke with AEW President Tony Khan about the company and what it has planned for the future. Here are 5 things we learned about AEW.
#5 AEW has the resources
What makes AEW different? Tony Khan simply put it that unlike other organizations, they have the financial power and support of his Billionaire father Shahid Khan (Net worth $7.2 Billion) to back up their blend of great performers and wrestling minds. Moreover, he insists that their varied and talented AEW Roster is the best in their respective wrestling style, size and much more.
#4 AEW TV will be advertiser-friendly
Chris Van Vliet brought up the comparison of WCW and ECW and Tony Khan replied that he doesn't want to be compared to any other wrestling company and they will be doing something very different and assuringly, that they will be a major alternative, a second company with great production value, best matches, etc, outside of WWE in 20 years.
Chris Van Vliet also asked about if AEW will contain the edginess of ECW, Tony Khan responded by saying:
I think we are doing some edgy things. I think what you see on our social media will not necessarily be what you're going to see in our television product, which I do expect to be more advertiser-friendly than ECW...but that doesn't mean we won't push the envelope.
This is an important point as Being The Elite is what caught the attention of the wrestling fanbase as it had a blend of storylines, behind-the-scenes intrigue, and just plain old fun. This makes sense that at the end of the day, wrestling is a business and the bottom line is what matters.
#3 Wins and Losses will matter in AEW
Tony Khan also elaborated on AEW's 5-year plan and where he sees the company at that point of time. Like most businessmen, he expects it to be successful and a very different product when compared to WWE. He insists that by that time, the brand will be for people who are looking for fast-paced action. Moreover, he elaborated:-
It's for people who want a product that is...a more of a sporting based product. That talks about a lot about how I want wins and losses to matter because at the end of the day..that's why you're having the match...there's going to be a winner and a loser..and it matters.
It should matter to your standing in the company and it should matter in your chase for the championship ...which, at the end of the day, is what everyone is trying to attain.
Essentially, Tony Khan says that wins and losses are the building blocks for any sporting product. This is an interesting comment to make is because wrestling fans have criticized the WWE for this very thing.
For instance, take Jinder Mahal who was plucked out of jobber status and suddenly made the WWE Champion. While no one was keeping score, it's safe to say that his losses vastly outnumbered his wins until that point.
If AEW goes in a different direction and actually keeps score, it leads to other interesting aspects which could earn additional revenue for the company in the long run such as fantasy leagues and statistics-based booking. Interesting times ahead, indeed!
#2 Tony Khan will not be Mr. McMahon
Tony Khan also said he will not be an on-screen authority figure much like how Vince McMahon has played a version of himself (Mr. McMahon) on WWE TV. He elaborates,
We have some of the greatest on-air performers in the world and...I am who I am in the promotion. I am the president, CEO and the founder of this company but it's not going to be me all over TV and I'm not going to be doing a lot of interviews or backstage segments on television.
In a way, this is quite refreshing. Others have tried to repeat what Vince McMahon or even Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff managed to do successfully, with very unfortunate results. Dixie Carter tried to do the same in Impact Wrestling and it got the wrong kind of heat from the wrestling fanbase.
If any on-screen authority figure, it will probably be Cody Rhodes. As The Rock used to say, Tony Khan does know his role, especially in regards to what it will take to make AEW a success.
#1 AEW will not repeat the mistakes of WCW
The topic turned to the AEW roster and who would AEW be signing in the future? Essentially, Tony Khan said that while they are several talented performers that they have not signed yet and that they couldn't take everyone. He then brought up WCW as an example of a company that had too many wrestlers on their roster.
If you look at the problems to what the demise of WCW was...I think one of the major issues was...that they had a very large roster with a lot of people making a lot of money and a lot of those people were really good.
Because there was so many people across the board that were really good but you can't pay every talented person in the business a $100,000...your company will go under quick...then you won't have enough revenue to offset what you're paying out.
This is a fair premise and obviously, Tony Khan being a wrestling fan as well as a smart businessman, is also a student of wrestling history. It makes sense that they will make more money if they choose their talent correctly, book their matches properly and just entertain the wrestling fans.
At the end of the day, it's the content that you are providing the fanbase and not just a large section of wrestlers that you can just put out week after week.
Are you guys excited for AEW? Comment below!
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