Tony Khan had by no means labored in professional wrestling earlier than 2019, when he launched AEW. Now, after three profitable years with junior promotion, the corporate’s perennial fan additionally owns the Ring of Honor (ROH), a staple in impartial wrestling for 20 years.
Final Friday, Khan relaunched ROH with the Supercard of Honor, an occasion that drew greater than 2,000 followers within the Dallas metropolitan space and included AEW and old fashioned ROH occasions into the present. The primary occasion between FTR and Briscoes was one of the crucial extremely acclaimed matches of the yr. A day later in the identical metropolis, Cody Rhodes, former AEW Government Vice President and founding father of the promo, returns to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
It was a busy and thrilling time for professional wrestling and he betrayed himself. He additionally holds government positions below his father Shahid with Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC.
How does Khan plan to run AEW and ROH collectively? What are his emotions about Rhodes leaving the corporate? How does the free agent market look to the long run in skilled wrestling? ESPN spoke to Khan after the Supercard of Honor and forward of AEW’s schedule that features Massive Blowout on Friday, with Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta, and Battle of the Belts 2 on April 15.
Responses have been edited for readability and brevity.
ESPN: What are the short-term plans for Ring of Honor?
Khan: exhausting to say. I’m very grateful to AEW’s media accomplice, WarnerMedia, for permitting me to do that present. I actually tried to make it a Ring of Honor present – with Staff Ring of Honor being introduced and utilizing lots of people who’ve been preventing for Ring of Honor these days – after which having some faces from the previous, some nice faces popping out of Ring of Honor legends both on video or in individual as a shock . Like Younger Bucks. Or Samoa Joe returning to Ring of Honor and signing with AEW that evening.
I’ve used some assets from AEW with permission from Warner with the understanding that I will not make this an AEW present. It is going to be a Ring of Honor present. I used to be asking them to make use of a few of AEW’s assets to make this an ideal pay-per-view occasion. For the Ring of Honor, it turned out to be one of the crucial profitable occasions of their historical past.
You mentioned your plan, not less than initially, is to ebook the Ring of Honor your self. How do you try this with AEW, Fulham FC and Jacksonville Jaguars in your plate?
It is extremely helpful for the work you might have carried out. I am already doing a whole lot of work within the skilled wrestling world. It simply felt so pure to me to place the Supercard collectively. We’re in a big number of presents. I wished to proceed that sizzling hand and I believe we did.
Will ROH be a weekly TV present? What would be the pay-per-view frequency?
WarnerMedia has been actually cool about doing the Supercard of Honor. I believe there’s nice potential for Ring of Honor to proceed as a weekly sequence.
Ought to it’s contractually on Warner? As a result of I used to be below the impression that you just personal ROH individually from AEW.
I personal it as a separate entity from AEW. However I even have a TV contract with Warner that I might be producing wrestling reveals for them. I’ve had these conversations with Warner, as a result of I believe it will make sense for everybody. And I believe they’re open to that. However within the brief timeframe we had, what I requested for was principally an exemption for being out of pockets.
Do you see ROH as developmental? Or create some form of integration between ROH and AEW?
I’ve had extra conversations with WarnerMedia about what we will do collectively to develop Ring of Honor. I believe it is smart for Ring of Honor to proceed as a weekly sequence and main occasions, because it simply did with the Supercard. I believe the Supercard’s success, each financial and business, will bode properly for WarnerMedia who actually care about Ring of Honor, in addition to for AEW. I believe there’s a nice potential to personal a complement model of wrestling.
What are your plans for former UFC fighter Paige VanZant in AEW?
Effectively, she trains as an expert wrestler, however she may be very properly versed in preventing, blended martial arts, and sparring. She is a pure in terms of her charisma and the best way she carries herself as a star on each TV and direct followers. She has such an ideal presence. She is growing her wrestling expertise. Along with her potential and presence, I believe there’s a actual probability that she might be a drive to be reckoned with in skilled wrestling.
I see this on a regular basis: Why is AEW signing a lot expertise? How can everybody be accommodated and used appropriately? What are your ideas on that?
I believe individuals might take a look at it a bit of in a different way after we had success with the Ring of Honor Supercard, as a result of I believe we took some individuals who have been essential in AEW and now current them once more in a brand new mild within the Ring of Honor.
For instance, Tully Blanchard and Brian Cage collectively on Ring of Honor, and Tully Blanchard began Tully Blanchard Enterprises with Cage and a brand new tag workforce, Kaun and Toa Liona. I believe this can be a nice instance of the potential for flexibility between the AEW roster and Ring of Honor, which might be nice for each corporations.
What are you able to inform me concerning the Owen Hart Cup?
I am so enthusiastic about it. There might be a males’s event and a girls’s event. It would culminate within the Finals at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas at T-Cellular on Could 29 on a pay-per-view.
How concerned will Martha Hart, Owen Hart’s widow?
She is concerned. I signed up for this. We have been speaking to her for 2 years. We spoke to her all through the pandemic and agreed that when individuals can come again for dwell occasions and Martha Hart herself can attend, we’ll. So, Martha herself will certainly be within the Las Vegas Finals. She was great to work with. It has been my pleasure to make this connection between AEW and the Owen Hart Basis. Martha is a really clever and educated girl. It does not do something with out doing a whole lot of analysis. She wished to ensure this was an occasion worthy of being named Owen.
AEW launched an announcement when Cody Rhodes left the corporate. There have been developments since then, together with his return to WWE at WrestleMania. Had been you stunned that he went to WWE?
No, it is a binary resolution. He would not be right here and based mostly on the conversations we had – he by no means instructed me – however it was clear that was what was taking place.
How do you are feeling about that as a result of he was one of many guys you initially talked to about beginning AEW?
Not something I need to touch upon. Like I mentioned, I recognize the issues Cody and his spouse, Brandi Rhodes, did in AEW and noticed Cody seem in WWE. Like I mentioned earlier than he confirmed up there, it nonetheless holds true: I nonetheless love him and want him the very best. I recognize the issues he did in AEW. We spent tons of and tons of of hours collectively and know one another very properly. I believe we parted on excellent phrases.
The Monday Evening Wars of the ’90s was a very popular interval the place males have been going forwards and backwards between the WWF and WCW as free brokers. Do you think about that is taking place now?
We have seen lots of people who’ve been large stars world wide in a whole lot of promotions come to AEW and a kind of main promotions is WWE. I believe we have had nice superstars coming from WWE, Ring of Honor, New Japan and different locations through the years.
We simply introduced Samoa Joe to AEW and he is one of many greatest wrestling stars on the earth. Brian Danielson and Adam Cole. Jeff Hardy is among the most well-known wrestlers of all time. Many individuals have come to us by alternative and a whole lot of different individuals have been deserted from WWE, and their contracts have been terminated. I believe Tony Storm requested for her launch and got here right here by alternative. She made her AEW debut final week. There have been different names like Ruby Soho, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo and a variety of others who have been deserted. Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland.
It isn’t unusual to see stars coming from different promotions, together with WWE, to AEW. I believe it is a bit of totally different now that I am seeing an AEW famous person go to WWE TV. I believe that because the years go by – we encourage younger individuals – ultimately it has to occur. And now she has.
By way of free company and that expertise motion, I believe AEW is now at some extent the place some contracts are expiring. Is that this one thing you are prepared for, possibly some bidding wars on guys like MJF or possibly even Kenny Omega? Do you anticipate bidding wars sooner or later?
Sure me. We’ve a whole lot of nice wrestlers right here. I anticipate that there’ll doubtless be curiosity down the street in a few of them, as a result of we’ve got such sturdy showings. I believe there inevitably must be a free agent motion. On either side of the competitors. I believe it is nice for wrestlers.
Will there be a Blood & Guts match this yr?
Yeah. I might say to anticipate Blood & Guts this summer season.
Will there be a stampede on the sphere this yr?
I’ll get again to you. I’ve considered it. It is a fully totally different world of wrestling now than it was throughout the pandemic. I believe it was an ideal match, a particular one for us that individuals actually loved. However among the causes we gave for that match have been due to the challenges that existed on the earth due to the pandemic, like presenting sporting occasions with dwell audiences. That does not actually exist on this dwell occasion pandemic.
If you happen to might rent any fight athlete to wrestle for AEW, who wouldn’t it be?
Nice query. I am not as accustomed to MMA field workplace as wrestling field workplace. Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather are the 2 greatest attracts, I believe. I do not know for positive. I might in all probability say a kind of two. Each are big stars.
AEW is bringing an enormous present subsequent month in Las Vegas, Double or Nothing Pay-per-view. Any integration with the UFC?
I requested them to return. I do not know. We’ve to see. If we will discover a strategy to make that work, I believe that might be nice.
I am simply excited to be there this week. I hope to see UFC President Dana White and UFC Chief Enterprise Officer Hunter Campbell in Vegas. It is all the time nice that they’re right here in Jacksonville for UFC 273 this weekend. This might be my first time again to Vegas because the pandemic began. Once I’m out and about, they’re undoubtedly individuals to look out for. The one individuals I race to speak to after I’m outdoors are Dana and Hunter. It was once Jon Moxley and his spouse, Renee Paquette, however they moved to Cincinnati.
