AEW President Tony Khan hosted a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon to promote Wednesday’s Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite. The following are highlights from thee call:
- AEW plans to continue with the special-themed episodes of Dynamite. Khan has enjoyed formatting the show, which will be structured more like a pay-per-view.
- The main event of Winter is Coming between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega will have a 60 minute time limit. TNT will allow them to run past 10pm ET if needed and they have “big things planned.”
- When asked about Brodie Lee’s status, Khan said he can’t comment why he’s been off television, but hopes he’s back soon. He touted the Exalted One as one of the best wrestlers on the entire roster.
- Khan was asked about AEW signing so many wrestlers, and how long they can continue adding people before they have to start cutting others. Since we are in a pandemic, cuts “could have and should have been made” – but he’s not let anybody go. It’s hard getting work on the independent scene and he has gone the extra mile to make sure people were protected.
- AEW Dark has become a valuable property for AEW. In recent months, the format has grown to accommodate many more matches each week. Khan thinks they are seriously considering breaking it up into two shows: one for developmental stars and one for more established talent. Several AEW stars started out on Dark, including “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs. He’s more interested in developing talent than cutting people.
- Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega is a huge match, so why is it taking place on cable television instead of headlining the next AEW PPV? Dynamite is the lifeblood of AEW and he wanted to have a PPV-caliber match on the show to close out 2020. Revenue from their TV deal is the lifeblood of AEW and he thinks its important to keep that in mind. He gushed about Moxley’s role as AEW World Champion and the face of the company. Omega has also been one of their biggest attractions and it’s going to be a big deal when they square off this wee. They plan to continue featuring major league matches on Dynamite, since that is their main platform for revenue and viewership.
- He’s learned so much after running AEW for a year and a half. He learned a lot about working with talent, writing and producing television and dealing with television executives. He has not had to fire people yet, but says that’s business and never fun.
- Khan spoke about what goes into writing television, the pacing, and how live shows differ from their taped episodes. Sometimes he’ll go back and see an episode of Dynamite from a year ago and questions what he was thinking – which shows him how much he’s learned along the way. AEW does a lot of longterm booking, but also has to write fresh television every week and it’s interesting ho that all comes together.
- Jon Moxley will not be working NJPW WrestleKingdom in January.
- AEW is considering introducing Trios Championships in 2021. It’s definitely something on the agenda.
- Tony Khan has never seen the show Game of Thrones, but liked the title “Winter is Coming” because it feels epic. He actually learned of the phrase from his mother, who is a big GoT fan. AEW’s affiliation with TNT & WarnerMedia allowed them to use the name.
- In addition to Winter is Coming, AEW is planning big shows for Christmas, New Year’s and then Beach Break in January.
- A lot of AEW talent comes up with their own character ideas, while Khan also has some input. He worked directly with Kenny Omega on this new version of his Cleaner persona. Britt Baker’s Waiting Room segment was Cody Rhodes’ idea. The Young Bucks and Kenny have come up with ideas for other talents.
AEW Winter is Coming takes place live Wednesday night on TNT.
