Tony Khan Compares AEW Grand Slam to Wayne’s World 2, Says Show Will Be His ‘Waynestock’

– News 12 New York’s Kurt Semder and Dan Serafin recently spoke to AEW President Tony Khan ahead of tomorrow’s edition of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam in Queens, New York. Tony Khan discussed the stacked card and what fans can expect from the show. He also compared tomorrow’s show to Wayne’s World 2, saying that this will be a perfect night after he’s “been through a lot” as of late, but tomorrow will be his “Waynestock.” Below are some highlights:

Tony Khan on planning this year’s to live up to last year’s Grand Slam: “Yeah. Last year was a great show, but I think this is its own show. You have to look at where you’re at now in AEW. We’re on one of our best runs of shows we’ve ever had. This has been the biggest ratings we’ve had in 51 weeks. So, last week was the biggest rating we had since Grand Slam last year, which is a really good sign. It’s the first time we’ve really had four straight weeks like this since Grand Slam last year, so all things adding up to this day, our hottest night of the year. And this is a huge event. It’s just going to be one of the most fun events on Wednesday night you could possibly hope to see. To get this much great wrestling in one night for this price is unfathomable.”

On how The Acclaimed have become fan favorites: “They’re two great wrestlers. They haven’t been together that long. They’ve only been a tag team for about two years. During that two years, it’s been a little bit start and stop at times because they’ve both had injuries along the way and wrestled as singles wrestlers at times, but we’ve tried to keep one of them and the act on TV even if one of them was hurt was always try to get Max [Caster] and Anthony [Bowens] on the show. They are individual wrestlers. Max is from New York, and Anthony is from New Jersey. Max’s father actually played for the New York Jets, and they’re great individual wrestlers who came to AEW and worked their way up. I had this great idea for a tag team, The Acclaimed. I really thought it would be awesome if the two of them came together and brought their complimentary skills together to make this great tag team. And Max actually had this great gimmick he did on Twitter where he would do these raps on Twitter from his home studio, but I never saw him to do it as his entrance and I thought that it should be the entrance for the team, and Anthony’s so charismatic and would bring so much to this presentation with Max, and we really found something. They became fast rising stars, they worked their way up through AEW Dark doing developmental matches and then made it to the main show, earned championship matches, and they’ve become huge fan favorites.”

Khan on if fans should expect something special this week: “Yeah, big time. It’s gonna be really special. You don’t wanna miss this one. If there’s still opportunity for you to come Wednesday night and you’re a wrestling fan around New York, you do not wanna miss this. It is going to be, I believe — have you guys seen Wayne’s World 2? It’s gonna be like my Waynestock. It’s going to be like my Waynestock. I’ve been through a lot lately, and we’ve gone through a lot, and we’re gonna get — I’m telling you, it’s gonna be like Waynestock. It’s gonna be that one perfect night in New York City this Wednesday night. Expect a lot, and you shall not be disappointed. I promise.”

Tony Khan on Action Bronson being on the show and making it a fun night for the fans: “This is not a surprise, but I’m very excited to have Action Bronson there, not just performing, but wrestling. And to get somebody, not only one of the biggest performers in music but to have him on AEW Grand Slam, not only performing “The Chairman’s Intent” as Hook goes to the ring, but then tag teaming with Hook against Menard and Parker, two of the most improved wrestlers in AEW, I’m real excited for that. And that’s not a surprise. I’m gonna do my best to make it a fun night for the fans, and I promise I won’t disappoint with it this time. And I rarely have, and rarely, rarely, rarely in several hundred shows have I ever, and certainly never intentionally. This will not be anything, anything, anything, like anything we’ve ever done before. I’m very excited for Grand Slam.”

AEW Dynamite Grand Slam airs live tomorrow night at 8:00 pm EST on TBS. The show is being held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

If using the above quotes, please credit News 12 New York, with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.