Tony Khan Explains Huge AEW Decision

Tony Khan has broken down why AEW went to Brisbane for Grand Slam.

On February 15, AEW held its first-ever event in Australia with Grand Slam taking centre stage. It was also the first time the TV special had been held away from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

On the big night, “Timeless” Toni Storm defeated Mariah May to claim the Women’s World Championship, while there were also big wins for Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay, Mercedes Mone, Kazuchika Okada and the Death Riders.

During an interview with Wrestle Radio Australia ahead of the show, Tony Khan was asked why the show took place in Brisbane, instead of other cities such as Sydney or Perth.

For the AEW boss, the answer was simple.

“Brisbane wanted us. Brisbane came to us and said, ‘We really want you. We want you to do a show here. We think AEW would be a tremendous attraction.’ It’s been great,”

Tony Khan Booed At AEW Grand Slam Australia

While Khan said the city of Brisbane wanted AEW, not everything in the run-up to the show went as planned. The event was originally scheduled to take place at the 52,500-seater Suncorp Stadium but was later moved to the much smaller Brisbane Entertainment Centre due to slow ticket sales.

There were also suggestions the event would be a pay-per-view, although this was later denied by Khan.

Regardless, Tony Khan was heavily booed when he appeared at Grand Slam as he welcomed fans to the show. Despite the frosty reception given to Khan, the event was well received by fans and the company has already confirmed it will return to Australia in 2026.

H/t to Fightful