Tony Khan Comments On Cost Of Securing Final Countdown For Forbidden Door

Tony Khan shelled out a great deal of money to give fans a special moment during Bryan Danielson’s entrance at Forbidden Door.

The main event of Forbidden Door saw Bryan Danielson take on Kazuchika Okada in a highly-anticipated dream match. Both men are considered among the best of their generation, and the bout certainly had a fair amount of buzz leading up to the night.

The blockbuster feeling of the match was aided by a special surprise as Danielson made his entrance. Instead of his regular AEW theme, the sounds of Europe’s Final Countdown rang out throughout the arena to the delight of the Toronto crowd, who gave Danielson a huge ovation. The song was synonymous with Danielson’s rise to prominence in Ring of Honor before he signed with WWE, but is notoriously one of the most expensive songs when it comes to music rights.

Speaking at a media scrum following the event, AEW President Tony Khan commented on the use of the song, confirming that he paid a pretty penny to have it played during the event. While he didn’t reveal an exact amount, he said the song cost “as much as a wrestler’s contract,” and also confirmed that he secured the rights for all future broadcasts of the event. Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics reports:

“Tony Khan says Final Countdown song license cost “as much as a wrestler’s contract”. Rights are in perpetuity so it will be usable in video library.”

While Danielson secured the victory in the bout by shockingly forcing Okada to tap out for the first time in years, not everything went to plan for the American Dragon. Following the match, Danielson confirmed that he’d fractured his right forearm and will be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

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