Tony Khan was pleased that his father Shad recently appeared on AEW Dynamite, though he wishes his dad’s debut came under better circumstances. 

Shad Khan appeared in the closing moments of the April 24, episode of AEW Dynamite, after Jack Perry & The Elite attacked his son. Tony Khan was laid out with a piledriver by the Young Bucks and has been in a neck brace ever since. Khan intends to put the neck brace to good use when he no longer needs it.

Sitting down with SE Scoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV Insider, Khan spoke about his father’s All-Elite debut and had plenty of praise for his dear old dad. 

“It was nice of him to be on the show on one hand, but the reason for it is another. It meant a lot for him to come out to check on me. He is an incredible father and a loving parent and a great man.

“I’ve learned so much from him. I know he cares a lot. Nobody wants to see their son out cold and recovering from a deadly piledriver move. You saw he was concerned. You saw it on his face. He was angry and concerned. Mostly very angry.”

When asked if his father has a favorite wrestler on AEW’s roster, the younger Khan said that Shad has quite a few stars he’s keeping an eye on. 

“A few weeks ago I got a text from him during Will Ospreay and Claudio [Castagnoli]. He knew them both. He hadn’t seen much of Will Ospreay. He said Ospreay was amazing. I introduced him to Will, and he is now a huge fan of him.

“He is a huge fan of Kenny Omega, MJF, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, Dr. Britt Baker, and recently “Timeless” Toni Storm And Mariah May. Also, he had some nice interactions with Swerve.”

It’s unclear when, if ever, we’ll see Shad Khan on AEW programming again, though Tony Khan will be operating shows remotely as he recovers from the attack. With The Elite a force to be reckoned with and Kenny Omega’s imminent return to AEW TV, it’ll be interesting to see how the power struggle goes with Khan out of the picture. 

More From Tony Khan

Here are some recent articles regarding Tony Khan as the AEW President continues to recover from the attack by The Elite: 

It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted themselves a babyface in the NFL Draft as he hopes his new boss Tony Khan can power through his “neck injury.”

Khan was the recepient of a Meltzer Driver courtesy of The Young Bucks on Wednesday night’s Dynamite as the AEW President became apart of the storyline regarding the company return of Jack Perry.

Wrestling fans were wondering if Tony Khan was planning to sell the injury during the NFL Draft, something he’s annually involved with and TK pulled a page out of Bobby Heenan’s book by wearing a neck brace in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ war room.

With the 23rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected wide receiver Brian Thomas from Louisiana State University and when he did get picked, the focus was on the Jags’ war room, one that had Tony Khan, Shad Khan and Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson.

Pundits from Rich Eisen and Pat McAfee happened to comment on Khan being “injured” as they playfully joked about the angle that took place on Wednesday night and sure enough, the new draft pick was not free from getting involved in the storyline.

CBS Sports filled Thomas in on what happened to Khan on Wednesday and the freshly drafted football player made sure to send his new boss some well wishes.

“Hope you’re good. Hope you shake back from your injury. Speedy recovery.”

Brand new @Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr sends his warm wishes to Tony Khan, after Khan suffered a dastardly attack from the hands of The Elite.@AEW | @youngbucks | @boy_myth_legend pic.twitter.com/UL8Wo1Yj1j

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 26, 2024

The angle involving Khan has gotten its fair share of criticism and positive reaction. One panelist parodying Mel Kiper Jr. on The Pat McAfee Show noted that Khan need to stick to his guns with the injury as TK was still moving his neck back and forth in the war room.

Chicken salad. That’s what Tony Khan and AEW did on this week’s Dynamite by maximizing whatever you can after airing the ALL IN footage. And depending on how they continue to handle it, there could be more to come in the form of Jack Perry..

The greater contingency of fans (especially on social media) will be quick to make WCW 2000 comparisons once more or say TK is riding down the Russo electric rail of irrelevancy, but that final segment of Khan being beat down was more Paul Heyman than Russo. Instead of focusing on the weakness that was the footage, the spotlight was shined on a strength from an unexpected source, usurping product’s perceived misfire weeks back.

Was Khan’s selling questionable? Yes. Was wearing low-rise socks on a night where you were getting piledriven a bad choice? Absolutely, but what AEW did is address “the other guy” in the room at Wembley in Tony Khan.

Good or bad (leaning more towards bad), the decision to air the footage has already been made and AEW had to wear that albatross like a necklace, but Tony remained adament that he didn’t feel that way. When asked about the criticism of airing the footage, Khan stated on the pre-Dynasty media call that ratings would be the true fan reaction to what we got weeks ago courtesy of a security camera. 

The ratings did pop that week with Khan saying TBS was pleased, but numbers crashed back down to earth the week after. Khan’s company was still left wading in the standing water of it’s “nowhere near a fight” footage. Then Dynasty had the Scapegoat Tarzan swing in after spending months away from AEW. Even if Perry was previously a Jungle Boy, his reemergence into the product alone would not drain the swamp from stagnancy.

I previously wrote that Khan can be the leader AEW needs by getting out of his own way. On Wednesday, he ripped the Band-Aid off, with the Neosporin being three big letters that he and the whole country are quite familiar with.

Even more than CM Punk and Perry, Khan was the most talked about person after airing that footage. He’s addressed it several times in interviews since then, but on Wednesday Khan took another risk by bringing that Charlie Brown storm cloud right out to Daily’s Place and making himself part of the storyline. 

Like Lucy, The Young Bucks and Perry held the football, and unlike Charlie Brown, TK (albeit awkwardly) kicked it through the uprights by leaning to his strengths: his NFL ties. Roger Goodell and gang were the unexpected deux ex machina in this situation as Khan not only had his father saunter out to close the show, but got the NFL buzzing about the angle too, right before the NFL Draft kicks off this weekend. It will be even better if TK sells the attack to the gills with a neck brace and a bottle of Pepto by his side while he sits by the phone.

Perception be damned, Khan coming out doesn’t seem to be a Vince McMahon or Dixie Carter move in getting himself over. Unlike the other two, Khan didn’t utter a word during the segment, but just displayed his eagerness and excitement to reinstate Perry. He was the focus of the segment, but moving forward, I’m willing to bet that the whole story will not be. He was just a way to get to where they’re headed.

Will ripping the Band-Aid off bring AEW back into a 2019 rhythm that fans got so enamored with? Of course not. That’s something that will require consistency and focus, something that AEW has never excelled at on a weekly basis, but they arguably got themselves back in the game with some outside help.

Now Tony Khan and his product is on the clock. Happy Draft Day.

Could WWE the company be the next big name to be announced as ‘All-Elite?’

Last week, Vince McMahon returned to WWE to oversee a sale of the promotion and has since been appointed as Executive Chairman.

Names listed as potential buyers of the multi-billion-dollar promotion include Comcast, FOX, Disney, Amazon, Netflix, and the Saudi Arabia PIF.

AEW-WWE

This week, it was reported that AEW President Tony Khan, alongside his father Shahid, were named as “is in the pool of potential buyers for WWE.”

In an update from CNBC, they are reporting that several sources familiar with the situation have confirmed that the Khans are interested in a merger.

The report adds that the Khans would not seek to buy WWE themselves, but would team with a financial group and pool their resources.

The idea is described by CNBC as a “long shot” given the hostility between WWE and AEW that has existed since the latter was founded in 2019.

Shahid Khan is said to have a net worth of $7.56 billion, and in addition to AEW, the Khans own the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, and the soccer club Fulham FC.

If this merger went ahead, it is unclear if the Khans would cease WWE production, keep the brand going, or create a new hybrid brand of WWE and AEW.

Competition

The Khans are interested in merging with WWE, but they’re not the only ones open to a deal.

This week, it was reported that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund had purchased WWE, but those reports were later clarified to be premature.

As Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE CEO Nick Khan recently spoke to Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

All Elite Wrestling’s President Tony Khan recently joined the South Beach Sessions podcast. During the show, he was asked about when his father, Shahid “Shad” Khan, realized that AEW would be a success. 

Tony Khan On His Father’s “Leap Of Faith”

Tony recalled how that moment didn’t occur until the promotion had launched. Up until that time, Shad had been working on a “leap of faith” based off of projections Tony provided him.

“I had to tell him, ‘I expect people are going to buy these PPVs, I expect we’re going to get this television deal, right now is the perfect time to start a wrestling company because of the abundance of talent that’s available.”

It wasn’t until Warner Media executive Kevin Reilly got involved that Shad was able to see the potential the existed within his son’s ideas.

Tony explained how “With Kevin coming in, my dad was of course interested because here’s the president of WarnerMedia, the president of these huge cable channels, TNT and TBS, so he’s showing some interest in this, so my dad’s I think thinking, ‘Okay well I probably should show up and show some interest in this,’ but he knew when that happened, ‘Okay, well if the networks are taking a look at this, then this must be a serious deal.’”

Creating An Alternative

Despite his initial scepticism and concerns, Tony Khan shared how his father’s leap of faith had paid off. Although Tony had his own worries, he believed in wrestling fans and the wrestling community. He thought the promotion would be the alternative that fans have been wanting and that AEW would “make people sit up and take notice.”

Since the launch of AEW, many have praised Khan’s efforts and vision. Jim Ross even referred to Khan as “the smartest young wrestling guy I’ve ever been around.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fulham F.C, and All Elite Wrestling, Shad Khan spoke with Forbes recently about his investment in the wrestling industry.

When asked if All Elite Wrestling was his idea or his son Tony’s, Shad says it was Tony’s idea and has been pleasantly surprised by the promotion’s early success.

“This is one of those cases where, as a father, you don’t mind being wrong,” he said. “Obviously my son Tony, who had passion for it, this was his idea and God’s blessed us, we have the financial means, and we’ll try it. You get to a stage in life where you can fail and it’s not life-threatening and this was one of those. I am as surprised as anybody.”

Khan was then asked what drew him into thinking wrestling was something he could invest in.

“The golden age of wrestling would be in the late 90s when you had two competitive leagues, WCW and WWF, and we know wrestling is scripted but what was definitely unscripted, real, was the competition between the leagues. In those days you had 10 million hardcore wrestling fans, today there are probably 2 million or less. So there was an audience that was underserved.”

The Shad Khan interview can be viewed in the player below, with his comments about AEW taking place around the 11-minute mark. If the embed does not work, visit Forbes.com.

In addition to wrestling talk, he also speaks about his investment in the new Black News channel (which debuted earlier this month), his other investments and more.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner and Tony Khan’s father, Shad Khan, has opened up on the intent of AEW (All Elite Wrestling). 

He did so by doing an interview with Yahoo Finance where he spoke about how AEW isn’t trying to compete with WWE. Khan is a lead investor in the company. 

“WWE is a great company, but we are not here competing with them. In the golden age of wrestling during the late ‘90s, there were 10 million fans. Now It’s down to 2 million. So we’re tapping into fans who were not engaged and quite frankly the younger fan who never got quite into it. Competition is good for everybody, but it’s very important for AEW to do our own thing.”

Shad & Tony Khan Release Statements On All Elite Wrestling

Khan’s comments are backed up by the product that All Elite Wrestling presents with their weekly television show, Dynamite, that airs every Wednesday night on TNT. 

The launch of this promotion and them inking a television deal with TNT has caused WWE to make significant changes to their business model. 

This includes offering longer and more money deals to their talent as well as moving NXT from their streaming service, WWE Network, to prime time for two hours in the same time slot as AEW on the USA Network.

Shad and Tony Khan have released statements to the wrestling media about their new upstart wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. Notably, Shad Khan reveals he is the lead investor in AEW and promises something new and authentic for wrestling fans worldwide.

Shad Khan Statement On All Elite Wrestling

“I am the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling, and I anticipate great things today and into the future for AEW and everyone who has worked passionately on this week’s launch,” said Shad Khan, the 68-year-old patriarch of the family. “I know AEW will be welcomed by wrestling fans here in the U.S. and throughout the world who are ready for something new and authentic. AEW will work hard to deliver on that promise.”

Khan then turned attention to his son’s role in the promotion:

“As important, I am the father – the proud father – of Tony Khan, who will serve in a leadership role at AEW during the 2019 launch and in the years ahead. Tony will assemble a great team to take AEW over the top, for the benefit of everyone who loves the wrestling industry, while continuing to serve in his current capacities with the Jaguars and Fulham.”

He also stated that AEW will not take away from his other work:

“AEW will operate as an organization completely independently from my other interests. It will not deter attention or divert resources from any of my businesses, teams, projects or investments. At the same time, AEW will enjoy the same full commitment I given to everything and everyone in my life – my family and friends, my business and, in recent years, to sports, hospitality and now entertainment.”

Tony Khan Statement On All Elite Wrestling

“Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others,” the longtime wrestling fan stated. “I’ve been a part of this community since I was 7 years old, and I can tell you that wresting fans see the world every day through a special lens. We see wrestling in Hollywood films and tv shows, we see elements of wrestling in the presentation of sports and in the marketing of grandiose star athletes, and we certainly see wrestling in politics.”

Khan continued to talk about the wrestling community.

“The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wresting but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.”

Tony Khan also pointed out his work with All Elite Wrestling won’t take away from his other obligations.

“AEW does not mean any less of a continued commitment to existing obligations and duties that I have, or my family has, to our business and sports interests. That will never be the case. What’s important is that every individual decision we make as family, whether it’s ownership or investment in a team or property, is 100 percent beneficial to those specific interests. I will always welcome that accountability and responsibility, as nothing is more important than serving our supporters and friends.

AEW will launch with a roster of the top wrestlers in the world. While they’ll clash in what will be some of the most intense and fast-paced contests ever sanctioned in the squared circle, they’ll also share a common goal: to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a wrestling fan. Likewise, as a business, by treating our wrestlers with respect and warmth, we also seek to make this the golden age for the performers themselves.”

He then encouraged fans to watch.

“I urge everyone who believes in what we’re doing, or wants to believe in dreams coming true, to support AEW by spreading the word and passing the wrestling bug onto someone else. My message: Get in on the ground floor with AEW today and help lead our movement to grow the wrestling community and ensure that the voices of the wrestling fans, their creative minds and their remarkable ideas, will always be heard.”