Tony Khan Tiptoes Around Question About A Possible AEW-WWE Show
Tony Khan did his best to try to answer a question about AEW possibly working with WWE on the same show.
It is a unique time in pro wrestling where All Elite Wrestling has working relationships with other companies like New Japan Pro Wrestling and Mexico’s CMLL among others. Seeing talent from other companies in AEW isn’t a strange thing for fans of the company.
As for WWE, this year has seen them strike a deal with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling which has seen WWE NXT talent appear on TNA shows and vice versa.
The last WWE NXT PLE called No Mercy featured TNA’s Joe Hendry competing in the main event as the challenger for Ethan Page’s NXT Title. Hendry didn’t leave with the gold, but the fact that a TNA guy headlined a WWE show was a unique first-time-ever thing that seemed like a longshot in years past.
Due to AEW and WWE working with other promotions currently, it’s not a surprise that AEW’s Owner/President Tony Khan would be asked about a potential deal with WWE.
Tony Khan was interviewed by Maggie & Perloff and he was asked about AEW putting on a show with WWE, which led to this awkward response.
“I can’t say ever. Anything could happen at some point. It’s hard to say. What’s the timeline? In the next 100 years, quite possibly.”
When Maggie asked Tony if it could happen in the next five years, Tony shot that idea down.
“That seems far less likely.”
Tony Khan Has Claimed AEW Is At “War” With WWE
In past interviews, Tony has made it clear that he feels AEW and WWE are in a war. Considering the two companies compete for talent contracts often when people are free agents or nearly free agents, they are at war in the sense of trying to build a roster. However, WWE is a much bigger company drawing bigger crowds regularly in 2024.
It was in early 2023 when Tony Khan made the bold claim that the two companies hate each other.
“I think we truly, truly hate each other and I think it makes for really exciting TV and it makes for an exciting wrestling war.”
There have also been claims of contract tampering by Khan and people who work for AEW.
“I only know what people have come to me and alleged. But, I do know it’s a real war between AEW and WWE and the fans are interested in it and that was part of the original business model of AEW was I knew wrestling fans, frankly, are very interested in wrestling free agency and wrestling wars and I believe we could create a free agent market that is definitely a real thing now and that would be a big part of the story.”
The next two weeks of AEW Dynamite are big ones for Tony Khan because they will be running the Grand Slam episode on September 25th followed by the five-year anniversary of Dynamite on October 2nd. There will be some huge matches taking place on both of those shows.