AEW President Tony Khan had his eyes on MJF before his promotion was officially founded.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is widely regarded as someone who can blossom into a megastar. As it stands now, many view him as the top heel in AEW. With that said, the general consensus is that he hasn’t even come close to reaching his full potential.
Tony Khan Kept Tabs On MJF
During an appearance on Wrestling with Freddie, Tony Khan said that he had been following MJF’s work for a while.
“The man of the moment in wrestling. I was watching MLW and it was hard to miss MJF. For weeks and weeks and months and months all through 2018, I saw him cut a lot of promos on MLW.
“They had a lot of good people on the show at that time. So, I was watching it pretty regularly looking for people. I would go back in that summer and MJF was one of the real standout people.”
While MJF’s future is looking bright the question remains, will he stick with AEW beyond 2024? That’s the year his contract will expire and he has teased a potential jump to WWE.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T recently took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to offer his thoughts on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) president Tony Khan’s recent controversial comments.
For those who missed it, Khan claimed that an independent study confirms that an online “bot army” has been deployed to spread negativity about AEW on social media. Khan didn’t name anyone specifically for who was behind the “thousands” of Twitter accounts using bots to derail AEW’s image, but noted “Look closely, these aren’t real people.”
While the AEW frontman didn’t name WWE as the accused, he did ask “Who’d pay for such a wildly expensive thing?” As expected, Khan’s comments were met with a ton of blowback, and Booker T’s thoughts were no different. The Hall Of Famer asked if Khan is “losing his damn mind?”
“Is Tony Khan losing his damn mind? I know he’s off into analytics, I think he works in that field, but people are going to hate, okay? Everybody is not going to like ya,” Booker T said (via Wrestling Inc.). “I know Eric Bischoff said that Tony Khan had thin skin, and this came out right after that. I don’t know if that proves that or not.”
Booker T also went on to suggest that AEW should take such comments as nothing more than exactly that – comments. He also noted that he has only ever seen nothing but positive comments about AEW on social media before all of this. With that being said, despite the controversial comments, Khan seems focused on making sure AEW continues to thrive for years to come.
Tony Khan isn’t afraid to go all-in with bringing combat sports stars into All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Khan recently signed former UFC and Bare Knuckle FC (BKFC) fighter Paige VanZant to AEW last month.
VanZant has amassed quite a following over her young combat sports career, and will be bringing those eyeballs over to AEW. However, if Khan would like to, there’s a lot more opportunity to be had when it comes to poaching combat sports stars. Speaking to ESPN, Khan was asked what other combat stars he’d consider bringing into AEW.
Khan didn’t hesitate to name the two biggest stars in combat sports today – Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
“I’m thinking Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather, probably, are the two biggest draws, I think,” Khan said. “I don’t know for sure. I’d probably say one of those two. They’re both huge stars.”
While only Mayweather has some professional wrestling experience, McGregor has expressed his interest in delving into the world on numerous occasions. Recently, McGregor commented on not attending WrestleMania 38 from Dallas, Texas earlier this month. The Irishman is healing up from a leg injury that he suffered in his last fight against Dustin Poirier last year.
He’s currently preparing to make his return to the Octagon later this year, making a potential professional wrestling appearance highly unlikely in the meantime. As for Mayweather, now that he’s retired from professional boxing, perhaps Tony Khan could lure him into the squared circle for the right price. “Money” actually competed at WrestleMania 24 back in 2008, defeating The Big Show in a No Disqualification match.
Posted April 12th, 2022 in AEW. Tagged: Tony Khan.
The early success of All Elite Wrestling has created a situation where the top wrestlers in North America (and the world) now have multiple paths to stardom and financial security.
A second national wrestling promotion taking off in the way that AEW has was always the best possible scenario for a wrestling world that had essentially operated with WWE as the only national game in town for nearly 20 years.
Competition means better contracts and more opportunities for the wrestlers themselves, and we’re already starting to see some of this reality come to fruition with the arrivals of names like Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Adam Cole and Samoa Joe signing with AEW, while Kevin Owens got a haul of a contract to stay with WWE and Cody Rhodes returned there.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, AEW President Tony Khan acknowledged that bidding wars are sure to take place between the two companies in the years ahead.
“Yeah, I am (expecting a bidding war),” Khan said. “We have a lot of great wrestlers here. I expect there probably will be down the road interest in some of them, because we’re putting on such strong shows. I think there’s bound to be free-agent movement. On both sides of the competition. I think it’s great for the wrestlers.”
There are several names who have achieved stardom early on with AEW who one could see WWE making big offers for when their contracts are up. WWE has already been rumored to be interested in MJF, and how could they not be interested in a Jade Cargill down the line? Plus, people like Wardlow, Darby Allin, and even some of AEW’s founding fathers like the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega could be in play down the road.
One thing is for certain: This is the best time to be a wrestling fan in North America in many years. A successful WWE and AEW is best for both the business and the wrestling fan base itself. The promoters will be readying up to pay to keep things in their favor.
Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Just over one month ago, Tony Khan stunned the wrestling world when he announced his purchase of Ring of Honor Wrestling. The founder of All Elite Wrestling was a steadfast fan of ROH Wrestling during the promotion’s rise in the first decade of the 21st century and now has control of its future.
While we still don’t know exactly what this future will look like, we can make some educated guesses based on Khan’s own personal philosophy on the wrestling business, as well as what we saw from ROH during their Supercard of Honor PPV broadcast last weekend.
First of all, I would not expect the new ROH to resemble a “developmental territory.” Khan has too much reverence for the history of the ROH brand to treat it as an afterthought or a place where only the less experienced wrestlers perform.
Instead, it’s more likely that Khan treats ROH as its own established territory, creating for himself and the AEW landscape a system that used to exist before the 1990s.
Anyone who has ever listened to Khan talk wrestling knows that he was an avid tape trader, essentially a wrestling historian, who gobbled up all of the old territorial footage that he could consume. With the purchase of ROH, Khan has the ability to create for himself a landscape that resembles the wrestling world that he grew up admiring.
“Vince (McMahon) Sr. was really cooperative,” Khan explained last fall. “He booked Andre (The Giant) out all over the country. He would work for AWA and would go to Mid South and work in Houston. Wrestling was much more collaborative before the mid-80s and it was actually one person that made the business less collaborative. I’m trying to bring some of that spirit back. When Vince Sr was running the New York territory, it was a much more collaborative thing.”
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone appear on Impact Wrestling in late 2020.
I would expect movement across the rosters in future years in an effort to keep stars fresh. One of the reasons that so many of the top stars in wrestling over the last decade have started to feel played out or stale is due to the fact that they’ve been working the exact same television shows, without much reinvention, for the better part of over a decade.
A separate ROH will allow stars from both ROH and AEW to move on and “work another territory” for anywhere from a couple weeks or months at a time, to even longer if desired.
Throughout wrestling’s history, this kind of movement has always been a positive. Whether it was people bouncing back and forth between WCW, ECW, and WWE back in the 1990s, or traveling the old territorial system prior to the 1990s. A change of scenery is a good thing for everyone, and it keeps a character fresh. Historically this has been a necessity in the business. The last 20 years with WWE as the only truly viable national promotion has been an aberration from the norm, stunting movement across the business. AEW changed that, and the future of ROH will open things up even more.
ROH can’t afford to be just a developmental system, nor should it be. Supercard of Honor showed us that the promotion can produce some of the best matches in the world if given an opportunity. Look no further than the fact that FTR vs. The Briscoes was arguably the best match of WrestleMania weekend.
Khan has already tried to recreate a system of movement across wrestling territories of sorts while working collaboratively with AAA, New Japan and IMPACT in the past (the so-called “forbidden door”). However, ROH will give him the same opportunity while also possessing total creative control without having to run plans through another promoter. The purchase of ROH gives Tony Khan the ultimate wrestling sandbox in which to experiment.
What do you think? What do you want to see out of the future of ROH? Let us know in the comments section below or drop me a line on Twitter @ryandroste.
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Tony Khan says an expensive online misinformation campaign has been launched against AEW.
Khan revealed on Friday that an independent study has confirmed an online “bot army” has been deployed on social media to stir up negative social media activity against All Elite Wrestling.
According to Khan, some company is running “thousands” of Twitter accounts and uses “an army of bots” to signal-boost the anti-AEW tweets.
“Look closely, these aren’t real people.”
– Tony Khan
Khan didn’t explicitly accuse WWE of being behind this online campaign, but he asked his followers to consider, “Who’d pay for such a *wildly* expensive thing?”
We are currently in the midst of a wrestling war. WWE has legitimate competition for the first time two decades. A Wednesday Night War was waged, top stars are jumping ship and the competition is heating up.
Khan questioned, “Ever wonder why so much of the activity of these accounts is retweets and replies? Like who actually has 80% of their activity as straight up retweets?”
He encourages fans to, “Research this one yourselves. You internet detectives thrive in these situations.”
Khan doesn’t seem too phased by this revelation. He hyped up tonight’s AEW Rampage, featuring Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson in action.
Expecting the anti-AEW bots to be out in full force tonight, he wrapped up the thread by writing, “Their boiler room staff is going to be working overtime on a Friday, and I love it.”
Do you think wrestling companies engage in these shady tactics, or is this paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense?
AEW President Tony Khan spoke with Marc Raimondi for ESPN this week about the future of Ring of Honor. Khan shocked the wrestling world last month by announcing he was purchasing the company’s video library, brand assets and intellectual property.
Last weekend’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view from Dallas, TX was the first ROH show under Khan’s control. The event was well received by wrestling fans and critics. He really tried to make it an ROH show, including cameos from ROH alums like Samoa Joe and The Young Bucks.
AEW, ROH & WarnerMedia
When asked about the short-term plans for Ring of Honor, Khan expressed uncertainty. “It’s hard to say,” he told ESPN.
Due to Tony Khan’s business relationship with WarnerMedia, AEW’s media partner in the United States, he had to get an ‘exemption’ from Warner in order to promote the Supercard PPV.
Khan says there’s great potential in continuing ROH as a weekly series, along with occasional special events.
He did not answer whether or not ROH would serve as a developmental system for AEW, but did reveal he’s had talks with WarnerMedia about what can be done with ROH.
“I think the success of Supercard, critically and commercially, will bode very well for WarnerMedia really taking an interest in Ring of Honor, as well as AEW,” he said. “I think there’s great potential to have a complementary wrestling brand.”
Booking ROH
Tony Khan has stated that he plans to be the booker of Ring Honor. However, he already has a lot of responsibilities with AEW, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC.
There is a risk that he is spreading himself too thin, but Khan said it was “very natural” for him to handle the booking for the Supercard PPV.
Visit ESPN to read the full interview with Tony Khan.
AEW President Tony Khan says that the process of signing Samoa Joe wasn’t a difficult one.
Joe made a surprise appearance to close out the ROH Supercard of Honor PPV. He choked Sonjay Dutt, who had just aligned himself with Jay Lethal to form a new heel duo. He then stared down Lethal, who was on the outside of the ring.
Samoa Joe is officially a member of the AEW roster. Appearing on Barstool Sports’ Rasslin’ podcast, Tony Khan said that signing Samoa Joe was smooth sailing.
“It was good. He’s a great person, he’s very reasonable and he wanted to come and I wanted him to come. So, in that sense it was pretty easy. We got everything figured out and I was really excited to bring Samoa Joe both to Ring of Honor and AEW.
“I felt like that Ring of Honor pay-per-view as a transition from an era of 20 great years of Ring of Honor, different ownerships, different bookers, different entities but frankly, one thing that was consistent was 20 years of great professional wrestling and great professional wrestlers at Ring of Honor that kept the company strong.”
Joe made his AEW debut on the April 6 episode of Dynamite. He pinned Max Caster to earn his spot in the Owen Hart Cup.
Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article.
Bandido isn’t opposed to being a part of Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.
Khan shook up the wrestling industry by announcing he is now the owner of Ring of Honor. The AEW head honcho plans to take over the booking reins of ROH. SEScoops was the first to report that all ROH employees would be let go.
As for the talent, they were also released from their contracts months before Khan’s purchase. ROH did this to undergo a “reconceptualization” period.
Bandido Wants In On Tony Khan’s ROH
Speaking to the folks at Más Lucha, Bandido said that he’d jump at the chance to compete for ROH long term with Tony Khan at the helm (h/t Fightful).
“It’s incredible but it did take me by surprise, admittedly. They always say that change is for the better, so I’m interested to see what is next in this new phase (of Ring of Honor). If I continue, and I would love to continue, I will be thrilled to be there. If not, then I look forward to closing that chapter the best possible manner.
“They haven’t reached out to me. We (Bandido & Khan) have not spoken since the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, unfortunately.”
PWInsider reported that Bandido’s future in the United States is up in the air due to his visa. If he can’t score a deal with Khan or another big promotion before his visa expires, it’s been said that he’ll wrestle in Mexico in the short term.
Bandido is set for a title unification match against Jonathan Gresham. Both men lay claim to being called the ROH World Champion but there can only be one. The two will settle things at Supercard of Honor on April 1.
On Friday, April 1, 2022, in Dallas, Texas, the first show of Tony Khan’s era of Ring of Honor will begin with Supercard of Honor. It’s an important night as the event celebrates ROH’s incredible 20-year legacy while also providing an early indication of what the company will look like under the guidance of All Elite Wrestling’s CEO.
With the card promising championship bouts, long-awaited dream matches, and potential Khan surprises, Supercard has already become one of the most anticipated events of WrestleMania Weekend.
Perhaps more intriguing than the card itself, however, is what this show could set up for the future of the ROH brand. Who will be sticking around? Who will be coming in? Who will be leaving as champions? Answers to some of those questions could become more apparent on April 1.
And so, with that in mind, I want to outline my thoughts on the people I believe should be involved in this new age of ROH. These are the talent and personnel I think could help establish Khan’s era of ROH as a must-see company.
William Regal
(AEW)
AEW’s most recent signing, William Regal, is an industry veteran both on-screen and behind-the-scenes. His wealth of knowledge and experience in helping run a development system is invaluable. If Khan needs a right-hand man to guide the ship, he can’t get much better than Blackpool’s favorite son. And if ROH needs an on-screen authority figure, Regal can easily slip into that role, having perfected it for years in NXT and before that as Commissioner of Monday Night Raw.
Jonathan Gresham
The current ROH World Champion (or, at least, one of them), Jonathan Gresham, has been a key player in ROH’s recent years. He is a highly talented and skilled mat technician who represents the “pure style” of wrestling ROH is best known for. There are countless classic encounters just waiting to happen between Gresham and the wrestlers already signed to AEW, let alone the array of independent talent on the market.
Maria Kanellis
ROH’s women’s division has been stop-and-start throughout its existence but saw a marked improvement over the past year. This was thanks largely to Maria Kanellis, who took the reins of the division alongside ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise, putting a renewed focus on the women, bringing in new talent, and spearheading an impressive 16 woman tournament.
If Khan is open to delegating responsibilities, then Kanellis’ passion and dedication to women’s wrestling could be hugely beneficial in building a robust and competitive women’s division.
Samoa Joe
(WWE)
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate ROH’s legacy than Samoa Joe returning to the place where he first rose to prominence. A soon-to-be ROH Hall of Famer, Joe not only brings a previous connection to the company but the invaluable experience and name value. He is the ideal candidate to bridge the gap between the old and new eras, whether he is wrestling on-screen, training the newcomers, or even providing commentary.
Trish Adora
While Kanellis could help behind the scenes, you need a woman to anchor the division on-screen, and Trish Adora is a perfect choice. Having signed with ROH last year, Adora was already establishing herself as one to watch, making it to the semi-finals of the ROH Women’s World Title Tournament.
Adora has the in-ring acumen combined with a killer look and infectious personality that just screams star. She is someone that could easily carry a division as a fighting champion.
Jay Lethal
While it might seem a strange journey for Jay Lethal to go from ROH to AEW back to ROH, the move has massive benefits. Lethal is another one of those names that is synonymous with the ROH brand. He has the history, experience, and name recognition to add real value to a company finding its feet under new ownership. Plus, one could argue that the men’s roster in AEW is teetering on overcrowding, so Lethal might have more opportunity to ply his craft in ROH.
Bandido
The other current ROH World Champion, Bandido, brings something different to the table as a high-flying luchador. He’s a highly proficient pro-wrestler with an eye-catching look and a jaw-dropping move-set. At only 26-years-old and already this talented, he is someone who could be a main attraction for the next decade-plus.
Miyu Yamashita
Adding some international flair to the company, this 27-year-old prodigy is a hard-hitting striker with almost nine years of experience under her belt. A former Tokyo Princess of Princess Champion, Miyu Yamashita, could easily become a must-see attraction of the new ROH.
After AEW recently announced a partnership with Japan’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Yamashita is ready and available, especially having just dropped her title.
Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Colema (and.. Veda Scott?)
While I’m sure there is a temptation to stamp a different personality on ROH by bringing in a new commentary team, the duo of Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman just works so well. It’s not just that they’re the familiar voices of ROH; they are great pro-wrestling announcers full-stop, being able to call the action in the ring while showing off personality. If Khan wants to spice it up a little, adding Veda Scott to the booth could be a nice idea. Scott has her own history with ROH plus has experience commentating, both in AEW and on the indie scene.
Session Moth Martina
The pandemic curtailed the rise of Session Moth Martina in ROH, leaving her locked down in the United Kingdom. However, she has recently returned to the United States and even appeared on AEW Dark, which means she is at the very least on Khan’s radar. Martina has over 10 years of experience, building her reputation in promotions like Progress and ICW before touring Japan with Stardom. With her fun and vibrant personality, there is no doubt that Martina would quickly become an ROH fan-favorite.
The Kings of Wrestling
While I believe that Claudio Castagnoli (the former Cesaro) has the potential to be a main event singles star in AEW, a brief reunion with his former tag team partner Chris Hero could do wonders in establishing the new ROH tag division.
With the possibility of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler becoming new ROH Tag Team Champions next Friday, just imagine the potential matches between FTR and the KOR? They are a veteran team that could anchor the division while helping build up younger teams such as Top Flight and The Acclaimed.
Marina Shafir
Former mixed martial artist Marina Shafir has recently been racking up wins on AEW Dark and seems primed for a breakout year. Since her release from NXT, she has rapidly improved in the ring, bringing a technical authenticity to the squared circle that would be perfectly served in ROH.
With her ice-cold blue eyes and stoic expression, Shafir has the aura of a merciless killer when she steps between the ropes. She’s another woman who a division could be built around.
AEW President Tony Khan reportedly had a heated discussion with MJF over the weekend.
Fightful Select reported today the discussion was said to have left both men frustrated and stemmed from MJF’s interview with Ariel Helwani. The hour-long interview covered various topics from his contract status with AEW to liking WWE’s Bruce Prichard and more.
2024 is when MJF’s deal expires, which looks to be a big year for the pro wrestling industry as WWE reportedly has an interest in signing the top AEW star. MJF admitted that he’s not afraid to “stir the pot” until his deal is up.
MJF said he knows for a fact that the company is interested, but he can’t discuss why for legal reasons.
The report noted, “we’re told that the contract status of MJF is what has left the young star frustrated of late, but that Tony Khan took issue with the interview being set up without notifying AEW’s PR team of such.” T
Sources in AEW didn’t think there would have been an issue with the subject matter or the interview in general if it were set up with AEW’s PR team first.
Tony Khan is making a big promise to fans ahead of the Owen Hart Cup.
Back in Sept. 2021, AEW announced a partnership with the Owen Hart Foundation. The business relationship between AEW and the foundation means the company will be able to market merchandise using Owen’s likeness. This includes the upcoming AEW console game.
Tony Khan On Owen Hart Cup
AEW’s head honcho Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio and said he has high hopes for the tournaments and made a bold promise to fans (via Wrestling Inc).
“I’m excited, in May, we’re going to start the Owen Hart Cup tournament. And before the cup tournament starts, similar to the Olympics or the World Cup or a lot of the big tournament events out there, there’s qualifying. You know, pre-tournament qualifying. And we’re going to have that for The Owen Hart Cup, both the women’s tournament and the men’s tournament.
“And I’m really excited about getting in there and finding out who’s going to make the competition. I’ll have announcements coming up soon about The Owen Hart qualifying matches, but I promise the fans these tournaments, both the men’s tournament and the women’s tournament, will be excellent.”
There will be a men’s and women’s tournament for the cup. The widow of Owen, Dr. Martha Hart, will be presenting the trophies to the winners.
AEW’s PPV sales have only been increasing event after event. This includes their latest PPV in Revolution and Tony Khan is leaving no opportunity to tout their success. The AEW owner discussed a number of things during his appearance on Busted Open Radio. This included CM Punk’s dog collar match with MJF at Revolution and more.
Talking about the PPV buyrates, Khan expressed that people probably don’t know the significance of the numbers they have been doing. He went on to compare their buy rates to WWE from a time where getting people to buy PPVs was easier:
“You look back for example at the competition, and before they stopped doing pay-per-views in 2013, at a time when it was arguably easier to get people to order a pay-per-view, or sit down and devote that time. But if it is an apples-apples comparison, nine years ago, at similar price points, we’re doing very similar sales.”
Tony Khan continued his explanation mentioning how WWE was doing very similar numbers before the WWE Network was launched in 2014:
“For example, just looking at before the [WWE] Network came in, and of competition doing pay-per-view, you know, just look back at the pay-per-view numbers in 2013, they are very similar to the numbers we’ve done for our last few pay-per-views.”
The AEW President then mentioned how nobody outside of WWE has been able to pull the PPV numbers they are pulling since the 90s. Apart from this, Khan also talked about the debut of Jeff Hardy. He noted that Hardy is getting some of the biggest pops he has seen in wrestling.
Tony Khan knows how important Supercard of Honor is in beginning the transition period for ROH.
In early March, Khan announced that he is the new owner of Ring of Honor. At first, many questions were unanswered such as whether or not Khan would be running the promotion or if he’d have someone else in charge.
Khan told reporters during the AEW Revolution post-event scrum that will be the booker for ROH. Shortly after the scrum, SEScoops exclusively reported that Khan and his team at AEW were planning on running Supercard of Honor.
Transition Period For ROH, Says Tony Khan
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan discussed the importance of Supercard of Honor as a transitional event for ROH.
“I had not scheduled this pay-per-view, the Ring of Honor Supercard but I really think it’s important for me because they sold tickets and made a commitment for the fans, to still do the show.
“I see it as a transitional show in many ways that I’m really excited about. It is the first show under new management and it’s also a transition show before I will relaunch what I hope to be a really great, new Ring of Honor television product.
“A weekly series wherever it does air or stream.”
We’ve already seen the big announcement that The Briscoes will indeed attend the event to put their ROH World Tag Team Championships on the line against FTR.
SEScoops had reported that there was some concern over whether or not The Briscoes could make it to Supercard of Honor but that worry has clearly vanished.
Please h/t SEScoops if you use the transcription in this article.
AEW boss Tony Khan has plans of continuing the ROH wrestling operations.
Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group on the March 2 episode of Dynamite. Not much else was known about the acquisition other than Khan now has full access to the ROH tape library along with brand assets, intellectual property, production equipment, and more.
Future Of ROH
As expected, reporters at the AEW Revolution post-event scrum had some questions for Tony Khan in regards to the purchase of Ring of Honor. Khan revealed that he plans to keep ROH in business and he’s even looking to be the booker (h/t F4WOnline.com).
“What we’re going to do going forward? I think it assumes that we’re going to do something going forward. And yeah, I do still want to continue the operations going forward, and I am very excited about it and do have a lot of plans for it. I do expect to continue the wrestling operations.
“I’m gonna be the booker. And there’s a reason for that. Because I will be bringing in young wrestlers, and they have a lot of young wrestlers, and I think we’re very successful here and we’re doing very well here.
“There should be a Ring of Honor, and I think I’ve got the resources to present a better version than anybody else can.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Khan plans to run ROH. Reading through the tea leaves, one might assume that Ring of Honor will become sort of a developmental system for AEW. Especially when Khan talked about the brand having “young wrestlers.”
SEScoops will keep you posted in the coming weeks and months on Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.
Tony Khan is aware that Chavo Guerrero has expressed gripes with him recently.
When Chavo made his AEW debut back in July 2021, fans were excited to see him manage Andrade El Idolo. Chavo’s run was short-lived, however, which left many confused before it was revealed that he took on a role for the filming of Young Rock.
Tony Khan Owes Chavo Guerrero A Call
Chavo told Wrestling Inc that he was none too pleased with Tony Khan for not responding to his messages and a voice mail. He took it as a slight and assumed Tony no longer had any plans for him.
During the AEW Revolution post-event presser, Tony Khan cleared the air and insisted he only failed to respond to a single message from Chavo.
“I am gonna call Chavo. I’m about — to be honest, I was a little surprised cause I only missed one message from him and then he went to the media after I missed one message from him.
“I don’t wanna say what Chavo got paid for being the stunt coordinator for Young Rock but he got paid a huge amount of money and he asked if he could take the time off and leave. I said like — he was not under contract, he was on a weekly deal.
“So, I said, ‘I would love to have you back and I do like you a lot and you did a great thing,’ but now we’re gonna have to make our plans going forward without him here. We made plans going forward without him here and we went on and we’ve done a lot of great stuff and I really like him. He did great stuff for us.
“I definitely owe him a phone call and I was a little surprised to hear that.”
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
AEW boss Tony Khan has high hopes for what William Regal can contribute.
This past Sunday night (March 6), AEW Revolution was held inside the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida. A grudge match between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson was featured on the card.
Both men did indeed bleed together as advertised. Ultimately, Moxley got the pinfall but the two kept brawling after the match. This led to William Regal making his way out and forcing Moxley and Danielson to embrace. Khan quickly revealed that Regal is All Elite.
Speaking to media members during the AEW Revolution post-show scrum, Tony Khan said he was caught off guard when WWE released Regal back in January.
“Well, I was very surprised to see he had been released and he was gonna be available. I have tons of respect for his mind and I think he’s gonna be a very valuable person here in AEW.
“Obviously, I think people who follow his career closely know that he has a very long, established connection with Bryan Danielson and was instrumental in shaping the pro wrestler that Bryan Danielson has become, who I think is not just — he is one of the greatest pro wrestlers today and I think he’s also one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, I really do.”
Khan went on to say that he didn’t hesitate to make the move to bring William Regal to the company.
“I think Lord Regal had a big contribution to that. When he was released, first of all, I was very surprised but also eager to bring him here. I think he can contribute onscreen in a major way to both Bryan Danielson and also, he has a history with Jon Moxley. I think some of the last matches we saw Lord Regal wrestle were against Jon Moxley and they had a great rivalry also.
“So, he’s very familiar with both men, they have a lot of respect for him and I think you saw after the violence and the way that they bled together tonight, they’ve built a lot of mutual respect with each other. So, I think that’s very exciting.”
When a company signs someone like Regal, they’re not just getting an onscreen talent. Regal played a key role backstage during his time with the NXT brand. He’ll have a presence backstage for AEW as well.
“Also, behind the scenes, I’m really excited to have him here. I think Lord Regal can teach all of us here a lot. It’s gonna be great having him here and I’m very excited like I said, onscreen and offscreen. It came together very recently and I think it fits very well with what we’re doing here in AEW all around.”
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Tony Khan does not plan on appointing a new AEW Executive Vice President to replace Cody Rhodes.
Cody and wife Brandi Rhodes held many positions in AEW prior to them leaving on February 15. The AEW CEO/President has now begun to speak about how those positions will be filled behind the scenes.
Ahead of AEW Revolution, Tony Khan spoke to Baby Huey on the In The Kliq podcast. Khan explained that he currently has no intentions of finding an EVP to replace Cody Rhodes. However, he will be looking for a new Chief Brand Officer after Brandi Rhodes’ departure.
AEW Executive Shakeup
“They were both big parts of the company from our launch,” Khan said of Brandi and Cody Rhodes. “I give them so much credit for being a big part of our success, both of them. I’m not planning to replace the Executive Vice President role. I take on a lot of responsibility myself and we have some great people in that position right now, other Vice Presidents, and I work with a great team.”
Khan continued, “For that position, we’ll have to look, and also for the [Chief] Brand Officer position, you know, Brandi has been awesome for us. So that one I will likely fill, but right now we’re just moving forward. I think the company’s stronger than it’s ever been today. So right now, everybody’s on the road to Revolution.”
On the AEW Revolution media call, Tony clarified that he wanted to keep Cody as a member of the roster beyond the option years in his contract. Unfortunately, Tony says that they were unable to come to an agreement.
AEW President Tony Khan recently revealed that Jon Moxley was integral to getting Bryan Danielson to sign with All Elite Wrestling.
Speaking to Jim Varsallone ahead of AEW Revolution tonight, Khan revealed how the former WWE Superstar was a big part in getting the American Dragon to join the promotion.
“I don’t know if people know, Jon Moxley is a big reason why Bryan Danielson came to AEW in the first place” Khan revealed.
“He really vouched for this place, he gave his word to Bryan that this is a great place to work. And that helped connect me to Bryan Danielson, that Mox gave him that reference, you know,” Tony Khan continued. “That I am a good person to work for and that this is a good company to come to.”
Khan also discussed why it was so important to AEW to get someone the caliber of Danielson to join the company.
“Bryan Danielson is one of the biggest wrestlers in the world,” Khan stated. “One of the most recognizable, successful, famous wrestlers on the planet, and when he came to AEW, it was a huge get for us.
“Their story goes back a long time, they know each other very well. I think they are going to have an amazing match” Khan concluded, discussing the match between the two at Revolution tonight.
Here are the matches that are confirmed for the card:
Main Card
AEW World Championship: “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Adam Cole
AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker, DMD (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
Dog Collar Match: CM Punk vs. MJF
Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson
Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston
AEW Tag Team Championship: Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish)
Face of the Revolution Ladder Match (Winner Receives TNT Championship Match): Keith Lee vs. Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Christian Cage
Sting, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade El Idolo, Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Tay Conti
Buy-In Show
HOOK vs. QT Marshall
Kris Statlander vs. Leyla Hirsch
House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews) vs. Death Triangle (Pac and Penta Oscuro) and Erick Redbeard
Cody Rhodes’ future in professional wrestling is looking increasingly uncertain.
After his shocking departure from All Elite Wrestling, fans have speculated if Cody Rhodes would return to WWE. Sport’s Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso reported on Feb. 16 that Cody would be signing with his former employers.
Not So Fast
However, a new report suggests Cody to WWE is far from a sure thing. On Friday, Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net dropped the bombshell that talks between Rhodes and the WWE have “fizzled out.”
Haynes also shares that a source claims that the former Executive Vice President of AEW may actually return to the company.
“… I was told that discussions had been ongoing between Cody and WWE, but I was told, ‘those conversations have since fizzled out.’ One source indicated that there is hope that Cody can be brought back into the AEW fold. The idea was floated to me that there might be a possibility again, with a new role involving the ROH acquisition.”
On Saturday, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer corroborated the news from Cassidy Haynes. Meltzer tweeted there has been a “definite change” in the expectation that Cody returning to WWE was inevitable.
Days after word leaked that WWE creative is working on plans for Cody Rhodes, Meltzer wrote on the members-only F4W message board, “Creative was told last night [Friday] a change in Cody status from sure thing to uncertain.”
Earlier this week, Cody Rhodes spoke very fondly about his time with All Elite Wrestling. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, wrestling fans are the face of it all – I was lucky to carry the baton for several years, and I am incredibly proud of the changes we made for the industry and livelihood of wrestlers the world over. A great time, stuff for the history books.”
?? I’ll let you in on a little secret, wrestling fans are the face of it all – I was lucky to carry the baton for several years, and I am incredibly proud of the changes we made for the industry and livelihood of wrestlers the world over. A great time, stuff for the history books https://t.co/aiRG6dRELr
While fans wonder what is next for Rhodes, Khan seems to have an idea. The AEW President shared his thoughts on Busted Open on Sirus XM that the free agent already has something planned.
“It’s very sad and not something any of us wanted to happen, I think, but I believe that Cody’s got something else in the works, I’m not sure about that, but we’ll see,” said Khan. “I’m sure they’re going to have great opportunities in wrestling and in life. You never know what’s going to happen in the future. I wish them the best and am very appreciative of everything they did here.”
ROH has sent out a statement in response to being acquired by AEW President Tony Khan.
On the March 2 episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group. In a statement released by AEW, they gushed over the promotion’s video library.
“An agreement has been reached for All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan to acquire the assets of Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, LLC from Sinclair Broadcast Group.
“Khan made the announcement during Wednesday night’s episode of AEW: Dynamite on TBS.
“’Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,’ Khan said.
“ROH COO Joe Koff said: ‘Ring of Honor has produced some of the best professional wrestlers over the past 20 years, but more importantly, it created a family. I will be forever grateful to everyone in the ROH family who has worked tirelessly for the past two decades to take ROH to levels previously unimagined. Tony has the utmost appreciation and respect for Ring of Honor, and I’m truly excited to see how he continues the legacy.’
“ROH was founded in 2002 by a Philadelphia-based pro wrestling video production company and has gone on to become one of the most influential promotions in the industry.
“Emphasizing unparallelled in-ring action and athleticism, ROH initially catered to a niche audience of disenfranchised hardcore wrestling fans, recording live events in Philadelphia and a few other cities in the Northeast and selling them on DVD and VHS.
“From those humble beginnings, ROH steadily grew into a global brand that launched the careers of a number of top stars, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, the Briscoes, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.
“In 2011, SBG acquired ROH from Cary Silkin, who had been ROH’s sole owner since 2004. Under SBG’s ownership, ROH became the only wrestling company in the U.S. with a major, multi-market presence on broadcast TV.
“The next chapter in ROH’s storied history will now be written by Khan, who described himself as ‘a huge fan of Ring of Honor’ when he made the announcement on Dynamite.
“’This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner,’ Khan said.”
There has been plenty of speculation regarding AEW’s plans for the Ring of Honor brand. We’ve already seen a report from Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net that ROH will be used as a “developmental territory of sort.”
WWE and AEW were both offered the chance to purchase Ring of Honor, but it was AEW President Tony Khan who did what was necessary to secure the deal.
Khan has been hyping an industry-changing announcement and delivered the news at the start of this week’s AEW Dynamite. The purchase includes the complete ROH video library, as well as the brand’s assets and intellectual property.
Tony Khan now has the ability to shop around both the AEW and ROH libraries to a streaming service, which could land him (and AEW) a huge influx of revenue in the years ahead. It also gives AEW a secondary brand where they can send young and underutilized talent (think NXT to WWE).
Dave Meltzer addressed Tony Khan’s purchase of ROH on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Meltzer, both WWE and AEW were contacted about buying the company.
“Both WWE and AEW were contacted when the idea was to sell the company and AEW was the one that, obviously, made the better offer of the two and got the company,” said Meltzer.
Valuable Tape Library
Khan now owns 20 years of footage from ROH, including tapes featuring CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and many more.
“The tape library is very valuable to AEW because they want to do some sort of a streaming service,” Meltzer continued. “Whether they sell something to HBO Max or they do their own streaming service in some form. That amount of library with a lot of wrestlers, including, one of the keys to that library is Ring of Honor owned the All In show which is an important part of the history of AEW.”
WWE’s Interest in Buying ROH
This is not the first time that WWE considered purchasing Ring of Honor. A few years ago, around 2018, Triple H (Paul Levesque) wanted to buy Ring of Honor for the same reasons that Tony Khan ultimately did. There were talks and WWE made a pitch, but the deal fell apart.
“From what I gather, Vince wanted to buy somebody bigger, not realizing that the ‘bigger’ which was New Japan Pro Wrestling, he couldn’t buy,” Meltzer added. “WWE tried to buy New Japan. They tried to buy Stardom. They tried to buy NOAH. They tried to buy AAA. Nobody would sell to them from foreign countries for the price that they were willing to pay, so none of these deals ever got going, but this is one, obviously, that was in play, and you know, whatever.”
Ring of Honor’s most recent show was December’s ROH Final Battle 2022 pay-per-view. The company ‘went dark’ after that to restructure and evaluate the company’s future operations. In recent weeks, ROH has announced the inductees for the company’s inaugural Hall of Fame Class, including The Briscoe Brothers, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe.
The next ROH show, Supercard of Honor XV, is scheduled to take place during WrestleMania 38 weekend in the Dallas, TX metro area. More information on that show below:
This development is a game-changer and has widespread ramifications for the industry, including the operations of AEW and ROH. It also puts AEW in a stronger position to eventually secure a lucrative streaming deal that leverages both the AEW and ROH content libraries.
We’ve rounded up some reactions from people in the industry:
Gabe Sapolsky: “Here’s how Ring Of Honor started. It was announced as a monthly indie in a mail order catalog for a video company. I never dreamed that 20 years later it would be featured on a prominent, red hot wrestling show on TBS. I’m very happy that so many more will now enjoy the legacy of ROH and that it will continue to blaze a path in the world of pro wrestling. Congratulations to Tony Khan on becoming the new owner. I normally give a pro tip in my IG posts. All I’ll say here is to never limit yourself and anything is possible in life. It means so much to me that this little indie darling from 2002 will forge forward in 2022 and continue to build community while bringing entertainment to the fans.”
Ian Riccanboni: Do I follow Tony Khan now or does that come across weird? Somebody help here! I haven’t dated since 2010 and I haven’t looked for a wrestling job since 2014 when ROH came calling.
Maria Kanellis: Congratulations @TonyKhan !!! Let me know if you are interested in @ringofhonor Women’s Division. They are incredibly talented, great humans, and deserve all the accolades in the world!!! #ROHWD
Congratulations @TonyKhan !!! Let me know if you are interested in @ringofhonor Women’s Division. They are incredibly talented, great humans, and deserve all the accolades in the world!!! #ROHWD
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) March 3, 2022
Nyla Rose: So do we gotta shake hands before we fight now ooorrrr???? #AEWDynamite
Matt Koon: Some friends and I went to the first ROH pay-per-view after ALL-IN. Almost the exact same talent appeared; the elite, okada, etc. There was like 800 people there. ROH had a HUGE branding issue WAY before AEW. AEW didn’t screw ROH. ROH screwed ROH. VERY Glad they’re back!
Some friends and I went to the first ROH pay-per-view after ALL-IN.
Almost the exact same talent appeared; the elite, okada, etc.
Tony Khan hopes to make his major announcement next week on AEW Dynamite.
Earlier this month, the AEW President began hyping something “massive” that he wasn’t able to reveal just yet.
Khan appeared on Friday’s edition of Busted Open Radio and provided some new details about what we can expect. He’s been working overtime behind the scenes to get everything in place and hopes to let the cat out of the bag next week.
“I am going to tell everyone right now, you definitely will not want to miss Wednesday night Dynamite next week,” said Khan.
“I promise you guys right now, I have a huge announcement coming and nobody knows what it is. It’s going to be something very important in the wrestling business.”
Khan previously compared the magnitude of this announcement to The First Dance, which turned out to be CM Punk joining AEW. However, Khan clarified that next week’s announcement is not “just one particular piece of talent.”
TK is setting high expectations, but he does have a track record of delivering on things like this.
Some fans have speculated that AEW will announce a formal working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, a “super show” featuring talent from multiple promotions or the purchase of Ring of Honor.
Listen to Tony Khan tease his big announcement on Busted Open Radio, courtesy of our friends at the Putting You Over podcast:
We are less than a week removed from the much-hyped AEW debut of Keith Lee, but Tony Khan is already hyping up another ‘massive’ announcement.
The AEW president teased it during his most recent appearance on Busted Open Radio. He was asked if there will be any big news coming out of Rampage tonight.
Replying to it, Khan claimed that he is working on something massive which would be a big deal in pro wrestling. Though he is not sure he will announce it tonight:
“There will be a lot of news in the week ahead. I don’t know if I’ll get it done by tonight but stay tuned in the week ahead. I’m working on something pretty big. It would be massive. I don’t know if it’s what anybody would expect it is or think it is but this would be a big deal in pro wrestling.
I’m looking forward to hopefully making it happen.” said Tony Khan, “Stay tuned. I hopefully will get it done and will have more to announce soon.”
There is no news on what this massive announcement could be. Rumors range from another big debut for the company to details on the Owen Hart cup tournament.
What do you think about Tony Khan teasing another massive announcement after Keith Lee’s debut? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
