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Tony Khan did an interview with TV Insider talking about a number of topics.
What he is most proud of when it comes to AEW: "That we’ve grown year-over-year. As of right now, [Dynamite] is up nine percent in total audience, four percent in the 18-49 demo, and 25 percent in viewers 18-34. It’s tremendous to see those gains in today’s day and age. These are really good signs for our company."
Biggest challenges with AEW: "I’m very proud of the AEW staff and wrestlers that we were able to have a strong year in a challenging environment. A number of things throughout the year came up that could have impeded us at different times. Time after time, we always came out stronger. Recently, we’ve been doing some of the best shows we’ve done. It’s emblematic of the strong performance of AEW this year."
Talk of a new AEW set and presentation being changed next year: "I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag necessarily, especially so close to the big day. But at the start of 2023, we’re going to open the year on Wednesday, January 4 with the first Dynamite in Seattle, marking a full year of Dynamite on TBS. We’ll definitely have a new look, to say the least. I’m excited about it. I think it’s a nice thing to present to the fans, but frankly, I’ve found more so than ever, the more you talk about these things. When you build them up, you don’t want to create expectations that are impossible. I will say the set will be beautiful though. The look of Rampage will also be different. This will affect the way people view AEW on Wednesdays and Fridays in terms of presentation with the set and the show with the same great action."
Michael Mansury coming on board: "Mike just started with us and is a huge acquisition for AEW. He has so much knowledge in TV production. To have him join us as a co-executive producer and senior production executive is really great for us. It’s so important to have someone with his experience. Right now he is evaluating things in terms of presentation. I’m excited about what he will add to AEW."
His stance on talent using social media and other platforms like OnlyFans: "I try to be flexible with the wrestlers and staff utilizing their personal social media. I certainly recognize they are leading their own lives the other five days of the week when they’re not wrestling. They are representing the company as great wrestlers of AEW, but they are also all independent people with separate lives. I try to give people that piece of mind. That I’m not trying to be “Big Brother” trying to change everything they do in their life. It’s a balance. We just want people to promote AEW when they can and do their best to help us grow our wrestling business."
Trying to balance AEW with the Jackson Jaguars and Fulham: "I love all these businesses. I feel very fortunate I’m able to work in these industries. I love the people I work with. Every day is different. I try to find balance. It depends on the time of year, and where we are at. Where we are on our calendars. Wrestling never takes a day off. You don’t have downtime in wrestling. Then there is the NFL Draft or English Premier League transfer window that is always looming in the off-season. For me, I love moonlighting between these great loves."
Relaunching HonorClub: "As I understand it the numbers we already reached in a very short time are strong in membership and customer base. More than ever before. It’s a great value to join HonorClub right now. We’re going to be following up soon to talk about when the weekly Ring of Honor TV will launch and stream on HonorClub for sure. There are a lot of interesting partnerships and possibilities with great wrestling companies. Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling had a great working relationship we are rekindling. We are looking to rekindle that long relationship. Ring of Honor may be in the strongest position they’ve ever been in its 20 years. It’s the perfect time to take the training wheels off."
A new era for ROH: "We’ve created a lot of familiarity with the brand. It’s also beneficial to both brands. For example, I had earmarked Claudio [Castagnoli] to be a top star for Ring of Honor, but when we had this mess of injuries back in June before Forbidden Door, he came to AEW. It really helped us and came in to debut with Ring of Honor. He ended up coming out a month earlier and cutting his vacation short. An example having the two companies benefited us."
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