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AEW President Tony Khan is taking part in a media call to promote Sunday's All Out PPV in Chicago. Highlights:
*Last night's Dynamite reminded Khan of the pandemic era. He said illness (Saraya, Sweve Strickland) and hurricane related issues kept talents, including Kenny Omega (stuck in Florida) so they had to pivot.
*When asked if CM Punk will be part of the PPV this weekned, Khan said it was a great question. They are still "investigating" the incident all All In and right now, although he'd like to comment more, he can't. He said he tries to be honest and upfront with the fans and as soon as he can speak more on it, he will.
*On whether they will do back to back PPVs again after the events of this week, Khan stated that there will be an All In next year and we will see what happens. He noted that a big part of them is the three day weekends for Labor Day in the USA and the bank holiday in the UK last weekend.
*Khan is open to doing more pre-PPV media junkets.
*On the next ROH next PPV or AEW integration, Khan said the roster of champions between the two company is so strong. He praised Athena's current ROH run (which has been great.) He confirmed there would be a Final Battle PPV at the end of the year. He praised Billie Starkz work and then put over Claudio Castagnoli's work. He pushed Samoa Joe's ROH TV title reign, then Adam Cole and MJF and the Gates of Agony's work as teams. He basically put over everyone's importance and hard work.
*On the WrestleDream event, he's optimistic on having top NJPW stars, men and women, involved. He mentioned Mercedes Mone as a possibility and said it was great to have her at All In. She's not available to wrestle right now. When she's cleared, that's someone they are very interested in.
*Khan was asked about whether he'd be interested in doing a bundled deal for All In and All Out. Khan said he tried to do that and thought it would make a lot of sense. It wasn't viable across all the carriers. It's pretty much impossible to get the cable providers, satellite providers and streaming platforms to all agree on the same terms and bundle it. In the long haul, he would like to create that. As technology improves, he believes there could be a way to create that.
*This will be the company's best month ever on PPV. All In: London may be their #2 PPV of all time.
*On what he and the AEW roster could learn from Terry Funk and his legacy, Khan said he was one the greatest of all time. He never had the chance to meet him. Tommy Dreamer tried to get them together but it never happened. He said he only imagine the tributes that will come out if something ever happened to Michael Jordan. He said that it's hard to articulate the greatness of someone who is so much better than everyone else. There are great wrestlers today who will keep his legacy and name alive.
*Khan was asked about his mention of what AEW has been through over the last year at the media scrum and how the success of All In changes his mind space going forward. Khan said he's looking forward to a great event this weekend. He said he can't talk about this weekend without talking about All In. He's going to spend a lot of time trying to make next year's show a worthy successor to All In: London. He said he felt the event was inspirational and changes the perception of what it means to come to and be part of AEW. There was a spectacle in everyone's dreams and for many years, it was always Wrestlemania. Starrcade never reached that level. They've done a show that generated more revenue than any Starrcade and sold more tickets than any Wrestlemania ever. He said that he truly believes after watching every major wrestling event this year, Revolution, Forbidden Door, Supercard of Honor, Death Before Dishonor and All In, he'd put those five against everything else out there. He touched people and made new fans all over the world over the weekend. All In was a big deal and they hope to show the Wembley clips all year the way WWE used to promote and show the Silverdome event - Mania 3.
*All In: London will be playing on a number of ITV channels in the UK for free tonight and this weekend.
*Khan is very excited about two matches this week: Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita. It's a match Omega has wanted for many years. He's also excited about is between two of the greatest stars in AEW - Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy. He said Stadium Stampede taking place in Wembley Stadium was one of the most surreal experiences of his life. Guys bleeding in the Royal Box. His mother couldn't believe it when Khan told her they were going to let them fight in the box. He is just as excited about going to Chicago. He lived in IL for the first 30 years of his life until his family bought the Jacksonville Jaguars. He felt Moxley vs. Cassidy will be something special and something he has wanted to do for three years but he was holding it off as something special.
*On new markets he'd like to go to, Khan said he's hit everything that means the most to him. Dynamite #10 was in Champaign, IL, the same venue he first saw wrestling in. The United Center is something he's always excited to be in. Jacksonville happened quicker than he ever excited. They haven't been in TIAA Stadium yet. He talked about The Forum. Arthur Ashe was another venue. He's going to think about other venues that pull on his heartstrings as much as the places they have run.
*On the Punk situation, he was asked if he'll be able to give an answer by Sunday before the show goes on the air. Khan said that's his goal and he hopes to have more information by then.
*On doing TV in conjunction with All In, Khan said it's a great idea but he didn't want the first show in the UK to be anything but Wembley Stadium. The next time around, it's a different situation.
*On Mercedes Martinez, Khan said she's been doing great. He praised her bouts against Diamante and then Kris Statlander.
*Khan praised their content this summer and said they had a great go home show leading into All In.
*On whether he had words with CM Punk, Khan said he wasn't commenting on any incident.
*Khan praised the work of everyone who appeared and worked on All In and was thankful for them.
*Khan said he feels its a big deal to have FTR and Young Bucks teaming up. They would consider themselves competitors, not close friends.
Khan thanked everyone for their time today and thanked everyone who cover AEW.
Khan began plugging some of the matches for this weekend, noting this show means a lot to him.
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