“British Wrestlers the Best on the Planet,” says AEW founder Tony Khan
As All Elite Wrestling celebrates its 5th birthday and renews its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, founder and co-owner Tony Khan says Brits are best.
The multifaceted businessman, who also holds exec roles at Fulham F.C. and NFL team The Jacksonville Jaguars, says prime British meat is what’s bringing the juice to the ring.
“So many of the top wrestlers in the world are English,” says Tony. “Will Ospreay is quite possibly the best wrestler on the planet. He just regained the AEW International Championship at Wembley Stadium in front of his family and friends and a rabid crowd. It was awesome to see that happen for him on home turf.
“Some of the top female stars are from England too. Saraya and Jamie Hayter, both former AEW World Champions, and of course one of the great legends, Nigel McGuinness, who walked into the ring to that Oasis music for the first time in many years.”
If there’s one man in sport who runs the show in an invisible cloak, it’s Tony Khan. He’s sold out Wembley three times, with three different sports, but keeps a low public profile so that his athletes can shine.
“I make very few appearances and when I do, it’s usually to make a major announcement about an upcoming event or a big championship fight,” he says. “Typically I try not to be a character in the show, I leave that up to the athletes. I’m behind the scenes signing autographs. I like to do that for the live fans, especially the kids who come to the show. And I know that can be a big deal for them because when I was a kid, it was a big deal for me.
“With the AEW there is no rigid script. You’re hearing the wrestlers speak in their own words and give their own interpretation. And that's what makes wrestling so great. I think the worst thing you can do to a wrestler is try to hold them to a very rigid script. The most powerful thing is the personality and the voice of the wrestlers themselves, and pro wrestlers have a very unique way with words and a very special gift for communication. Professional wrestlers are some of the greatest orators in the entertainment industry.
Tony recalls the lightbulb moment he decided to take on WWE. “It was 2018 and wrestling media rights were becoming a really hot subject,” he says. “There were lots of bidders at the time on the TV rights, and there was only really one promoter who put out a lot of content- but faced no competition.
“The light bulb came on in my head that this could be a great opportunity to launch a wrestling promotion company. And the more I thought about it and worked on it, the more I realised this could be the time to create an international wrestling league that would have a tremendous chance for success.
“I live a variety of different lives with Fulham F.C. and my work in the NFL. With football, I’m primarily focused on statistics and strategy and thinking about the game itself. I’m not really thinking on the production side, so wrestling gave me a chance to do that. The AEW has grown to become a phenomenal business in just 5 years.
“We've got a great presence in the UK thanks to our TV partnership with ITV. And because of that, the AEW is the number one most watched wrestling league in the UK.”