Below are highlights (courtesy of F4WOnline), from Thursday’s AEW Revolution Media Call with Tony Khan.
Khan answered questions regarding releasing talent, ticket sales, creative, the reports that there are no production meetings and more.
When asked on what changed in his philosophy to release talent like Miro, Malakai Black and Rey Fenix, Khan said that “everything is a case-by-case basis” and that “it felt like the right thing for the company and everyone involved.” He did not go into further details.
Regarding ticket sales, Khan said addressed those who question the validity of ticket sales from the first All In PPV at Wembley Stadium. He said that AEW set the world record for paid tickets and has the paperwork and a plaque from Live Nation to prove it. He then added that with ITV, they have had the biggest audience for pro wrestling in the UK and that Dynamite and Collision are both up 50 percent year over year.
In addressing the rumors that he does not have production meetings, Khan said he meets with several working groups (production staff, producers, coaches, the commentary team individuals at several points during event days. Khan went on to say that he always looking to do better with communication. He also mentioned some things he read were completely untrue which is why he saw some backtracking after it was published. He further said that he doesn’t think about that anymore and wants to eliminate those kinds of distractions. He closed that comment by saying that he found some of it amusing and said to consider the source.
When talking about his recent run of shows, Khan said he made a promise to himself years ago at New Year’s Eve going into 2020 he was going to make great TV shows and would not be nice any longer when turning down other people’s creative ideas. He said the majority of what is on TV now, is by him. Khan added that years ago he realized that is what he should be doing. He closed out this topic by saying there has been times in the past where he has been too collaborative and that part of that process is saying “no.”
As it pertains to AEW pay-per-views on Max, Khan said that the streaming platform will still eventually be a home for PPV’s and is looking forward the day fans can by PPV’s via Max. He did not provide a timeline as when PPV’s will be available on Max.
When asked if he feels any added creative pressure with John Cena’s heel turn, Khan said they are happy with their shows right now and he does not want to change anything right now because another company did.