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The AEW All Out 2023 Media Scrum Highlights:
Khan felt it was going to be a good show tonight. He's proud of the staff and the fans of AEW with everything they accomplished in London and he was excited to come to Chicago to come and follow it. He feels they had six excellent PPVs this year and last week was one of their biggest PPVs ever.
Khan stated they did over 100,000 PPV buys tonight so far.
There were around 10,000 fans in the arena.
The back to back PPVs were exciting as they were back to back holiday weekends. He believed it was one of the best gambles ever in pro wrestling history and will be one of the best moves ever. It was something special and that's why he wanted to do it. It makes sense and people were attracted to the shows. They have something really unique there.
Adam Cole said the vibe of the locker room and the excitement of the last few weeks did not go unnoticed. Cole said they are just excited for the future. Thinking about the next 2,5,10 years has everyone feeling good.
Khan did not respond to a question about what he had learned from the CM Punk era and what he would institute to prevent such a thing from going down again, letting Cole answer about the vibe and then moving on.
When asked about the possibility of Adam Copeland coming to AEW, Christian Cage blew the question off and said he only talks about his friends and himself and his only friend is Luchasaurus.
Cage stated he just signed a new contract and deserved every penny that he got.
Khan said that the forthcoming WrestleDream event is something he's excited about. When he learned of Antonio Inoki's passing, he marked the date and started planning ahead. New Japan will be sending some top stars to 10/1 in Seattle.
On Jade Cargill, Tony Khan said that he hopes they have her back in soon. He said everyone will have to stay tuned as to when and where.
Kris Statlander said she's willing to prove her win over Jade wasn't a fluke.
Statlander said she wouldn't be back doing what she does if she wasn't physically ready.
On Mercedes Mone, Statlander said the women's locker room is always ready for a challenge. If she wants to step up to Statlander, she is ready.
On talents she'd like to face, Statlander noted Saraya, Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter (when she returns), and said "Let me wrestle everybody."
On being able to return and perform the way he did tonight, Bryan Danielson said he had an excellent opponent tonight. He said Starks carried him through that match tonight.
Danielson said he and Blackpool Combat Club like to test people and part of that is story and part of that is real. He had never touched Ricky Starks and felt he was a star. He said he thought Starks was good and wanted to see how good he really was. Some wrestlers don't like the intensity Danielson brings to the ring and in that situation, some wilt and some fire up. Starks fired up and he hopes fans see him now as gutsy as well as entertaining.
Danielson loved All In: London. He kept watching tonight wondering how "they were going to top that" and then saw Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy. He said he thinks Jon Moxley might be the best wrestler in the world and the other argument is Orange Cassidy.
Danielson was asked about stepping into the creative end of Collision. He said that you step up when you need to step up.
On his health, Bryan said there was a lot of "smoke and mirrors" tonight and there was nothing more dangerous than usual. He didn't even throw a strike with his right arm. They conferred everything they did with AEW's doctor and also Bryan's surgeon. He feels great.
On the last week, Bryan said there are things that are now behind them but AEW did awesome and everyone is excited to do what they do.
On using Final Countdown, Khan said he would love to use it again. The rights are in multiple hands and it's something he will continue to work on. It means a lot to him as a wrestling fan to have Bryan come out to that in Toronto and then tonight. He thinks it would be beneficial to the band (Europe) and the rights holders. He said it helps artists with rights fees, downloads and streams.
Danielson's family watched the match. His daughter didn't like it but his three old son did.
Danielson suggested Jimmy Jacobs to work with Tony as a coordinator and Jacobs flies everywhere with Tony now and works out of Jacksonville.
Khan said he's really proud of his crew for their work the last few weeks, especially given all the miles they flew.
On Sonny Kiss, Khan said he really likes Sonny but he can't renew every contract with limited TV time. He has worked not to have cuts of 20-30 people at a time. There is always a chance for Sonny to come back, as Stu Grayson did. He said losing Dark and Elevation has led to a change. They have a much bigger roster but the TV spots are tight. Kiss and other talents who aren't with the company are always kept an eye on if he has an idea or if they get hot again and he gets interested.
The show gave them the chance to feature ROH and New Japan champions.
He hoped to have Billie Starkz involved in the ring tonight but they found out she wasn't cleared.
On having talents on both Dynamite and Collision going forward, Khan suggested there will be some you see on both and going forward, you may see Bryan Danielson more on Collision. He's tried to create a different identity between the two shows and there are some who have been on one or the other that could appear on either show.
Khan felt both PPVs were as perfect as they could possibly be.
He felt the CJ Perry appearance was a good surprise.
Khan felt Miro and Hobbs each had one of their best matches of their career tonight.
On Jack Perry, Khan stated he is suspended indefinitely. That is all that he can say about that. He hasn't been to a show since London.
Khan said there may be something that is "umbumpable" from The United Center next summer, so they may be back in the NOW Arena next year. He'd like to keep the All Out event in Chicago.
On whether CM Punk has a non-compete, Khan said he didn't want to discuss the terms of the "separation." He thanked Punk for what he did for AEW. It was the right move and as far as what will happen in the future, he can't speak on that as he's not the attorneys who interprets that language.
On Jeff Jarrett, Khan said he's a great mind and a great wrestler. Jarrett has so much more experience than others in AEW and is a timeless, great wrestler.
Khan said no championship has gained more ground than the International title
This was the most challenging week for him professionally, not just because of wrestling-related matters but because of this time of year and the Premier League Transfer Window. He worked 24 hours a day for several days without sleep and it was hard. From a wrestling standpoint, everyone hit it out of the park while being stretched in a way they never expected and unprecedented territory. He said what they did this week hopefully bodes well for the future of the company, the media rights, etc.
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