Tony Khan Says AEW Would Have Been Impossible To Launch During Pandemic

In an interview with Entrepreneur, AEW President Tony Khan spoke about launching AEW just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, giving fans fresh matchup and more. Here are highlights:

On the success of AEW so far: “It’s been going great. I mean, most of the Dynamite [episodes] have happened during the pandemic, but I think that’s a function of timing. I’m really glad I got Dynamite started before the pandemic, or it would have been impossible to launch. But also [that we launched] far enough in front of the pandemic that we were able to get a big-money TV extension before the pandemic struck. All the major media conglomerates took a big hit, so I’m not sure we would’ve gotten that nine-figure TV contract in the post-pandemic markets. I just think the timing was very good for us.”

On reaction to how they handled COVID safety: “I think it was good to have all these conversations and talk about what some of the potential repercussions could be. But luckily, we had none of those repercussions in real life. We had no sponsor pushback. We had no fan pushback. I saw on Twitter there were a couple of people who questioned the move, but a lot of those same people ended up coming to the shows and saying they felt very safe. And a lot of people who’ve been advocates for a very slow and safe return to normal life have gone to these shows and thought that they were done the right way.”

On if working with other promotions is a way to limit WWE’s influence: “No, I don’t think so at all. When I was younger, there were partnerships between a lot of the other wrestling companies. And there was the Wrestling Peace Festival, which was a great idea, and some of those companies did keep working together. You saw wrestlers from AAA in WCW, and you saw wrestlers from New Japan [Pro Wrestling] in WCW, and so I think it’s very natural. Twenty years later, things have come back full circle, and now you’re seeing those wrestlers from New Japan and AAA competing again on TNT. You’re seeing [New Japan’s] IWGP titles defended on TNT. I think it’s the natural balance of the universe just coming back.”

On how ratings influence the show: “It’s a mix. I look at the numbers — the minute-by-minutes, the quarter[-hours] — very closely. Since there’s not a head-to-head competition on Wednesdays [against WWE’s NXT, which moved to Tuesdays] anymore, the patterns have changed a bit. So we’re learning new things based on the data that has been coming in the past few weeks. But since we began, I’ve studied these trends really closely and it can be a good indication of what’s getting hot, what’s getting a good response. Conversely, I don’t want to knee-jerk react if something doesn’t get the biggest number right away. It doesn’t mean that it won’t turn around and draw. I’ll give you a really good example of this. I’ve put a lot of effort into Darby Allin and really trying to emphasize that he’s an important person for AEW because he’s a creative artist who puts together short films and artwork for his matches. It’s the kind of thing I could never come up with in a million years. That’s why I love collaborating with him. because he comes in with really awesome ideas that nobody else would think of that are in his own voice. Darby wasn’t the biggest draw [right away], but we’ve kept building and building with him, and now he’s not just a future star for us; he’s a big star now. That was a result mostly of his hard work and great presence and the great thought he puts into his character and the way I booked him, which is very strong. When you put all that together, now we’ve got a star who consistently is drawing ratings for us and is a big part of the show. And there’s a lot of good examples of that. Britt Baker turned into a real star for us, and we put tons of time in on developing her to the next level. So I think it’s a good mix of people we’re building for the future and then stars that the audience recognizes from watching wrestling for years.”

On how AEW proves it’s for the fans: “There’s a lot of differences. I don’t do really cheap DQ [disqualification] finishes to prolong something. There are other wrestling programs where you might see multiple DQs and countouts in a week. I believe in giving the fans a finish to the match. I believe in not false-advertising programs and people. I might hype something I really believe in, but there’s a big difference between hyping something and false-advertising outright, and I’ve never done the latter. I think that’s why we have a lot of goodwill with the audience. Following through on the things you say you’re going to do and trying to deliver a show that’s in the spirit of what the fans want to see week in, week out and offering fresh matches and fresh programs is a big part of it. You know, not doing the same matches 17 weeks in a row over and over again.”