Since launching in 2019, Tony Khan and AEW have found great success by signing some of the biggest stars in wrestling today. They become the first major competitor to WWE since WCW closed in 2001.
However, there is a lot of tribalism among fans, with some being only fans of either WWE or AEW. While speaking with Case the Producer from Q101’s Brian & Kenzie Morning Show, Khan discussed the claim he made that the company is “under constant attack” by critics.
“I think that’s a great question. I think that’s a legitimate thing I said, and it is a challenging thing to be the challenger brand, but it’s also a great opportunity. Bringing wrestling back to TBS and TNT every week means a lot; it’s a great American tradition. I’ve really communicated that very well—that it means a lot to me and to the American people to have wrestling on TBS and TNT every week. To be on TBS tonight, I don’t take it for granted. We’ve done over 250 episodes now on Wednesday nights, and doing this every week on TV is something that I’m very well aware of. It’s a great thing for everybody that we can do this for all the people who work here and for all the fans. Pro wrestling is a 52-week-a-year business. It’s a very, very challenging grind, and I love it….. I think that it is difficult to be the challenger brand, and there are great examples of this. I think Voices of Wrestling, in particular, has done a great job covering these things in general, and I think it will come under scrutiny for almost anything I say. I think AEW is a great company, and there are a lot of people out there who don’t want to see it succeed and spend a lot of time trying to stop it. But that’s the fight that basically every challenger wrestling promotion has fought for decades, and it’s great standing here right now.”
Khan also spoke about AEW’s media rights and talks with WBD in this interview. For more on that, click here.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Q101’s Brian & Kenzie Morning Show with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
