All Elite Wrestling launched over five years ago. A second wrestling promotion with significant financial backing hadn’t emerged into the U.S. marketplace since the downfall of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling in early 2001.
Five years later, the company finds itself in an interesting spot: It is likely too big now to come down, but simultaneously too promising to feel so behind.
In recent months, discussion of AEW’s next media rights deal has ramped up. The company launched in 2019 on cable television on the Turner networks. Turner became Warner Bros. Discovery, a company that now, well, has a plethora of problems on its desk. Needless to say, though, AEW and WBD are pretty much at the hip. Conventional wisdom has suggested that AEW will eventually renew.
But with a few months remaining until their deal expires, it’s been anyone’s guess as to when that shoe will drop. AEW founder Tony Khan addressed the concerns and the discussion during Thursday’s Ring of Honor conference call ahead of the promotion’s Death Before Dishonor Pay-Per-View this weekend in Texas.
“Well, we’re having great talks,” Khan said. “Still in conversation, so I think that would be premature to say. That we’re all set and done because that’s still what we’re working on. So, having great talks, including today, and have had some great meetings with the executive team. Mr. Zaslav, Kathleen Finch, Bruce Campbell, and the great people at Warner Bros. Discovery have put a lot of time in and had a lot of great meetings and conversations. So it’s still something we’re all working on together. I think it would be premature to say that for sure.
“But also important to note it’s a very good, ongoing dialogue that we’re having,” Khan reiterated.
Then, the AEW founder took the opportunity to note something that crossed paths with him: A “major wrestling media member” informed him that World Wrestling Entertainment has been “telling others” that their media rights deal is actually done.
“I had a major member of the wrestling media mention to me yesterday that WWE is telling people, and I don’t know why WWE is telling people about our media rights deal,” Khan said. “I don’t really know if it’s any of their business, I don’t really understand why WWE PR calls people and talks about my business. WWE PR is telling people that the deal is done? And the deal is done at the same level that it was gonna be, our previous deal. That’s not the case.”
Khan continued, befuddled, saying, “I don’t know why WWE PR, and why major wrestling media members, who are very credible and never lied to me, are–I don’t know why they’re telling people that. It’s none of their business. I think WWE PR really gets involved in a lot of things they shouldn’t get involved in, and I can tell you that is very untrue. When we make a deal for AEW, it’s going to be a great deal with a big increase over what we’ve been doing. We’re in a really good position and doing great business despite what they’re doing to us.”
What Khan says is interesting on the surface. But while WWE and AEW will be at odds with each other philosophically, there doesn’t seem to be much of an endgame here for this theory. You could argue that if WWE PR did this and told other organizations the deal was done, then it could quiet off other bidders. Khan has all but pledged loyalty to WBD anyway, though, and prominent pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer recently suggested Khan leave AEW up to other bidders. Khan has repeatedly spoken highly of the relationship between the company and WBD. He’s also repeatedly said and emphasized that their media rights deal will be “huge” or “lucrative” several times over the last two years . And the thing is: The only hints provided by the negotiations are that they’ve exclusively been with WBD.
But really, the inconsistencies of his comments today versus earlier this week are at odds with each other. Earlier this week, Khan appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and discussed a potential WWE-AEW supershow. Khan said he’d be “open” to that possibility, but referenced “challenges” that might exist. Of course, the “openness” to doing a SuperShow comes months after he referred to WWE as “ The Harvey Weinstein of Pro Wrestling .” Khan’s comments haven’t exactly endeared him to the competition, and understandably, that doesn’t make a difference to him or them. But when you’re touting this idea one day and then slamming the company the next, months after slamming the company, then that’s simply inconsistency.
While WWE and AEW will be at odds with each other philosophically, there doesn’t seem to be much of an endgame here for this theory. You could argue that if WWE PR did this and told other organizations they were done, then it could quiet off other bidders. Khan has all but pledged loyalty to WBD anyway, though, and prominent pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer recently suggested Khan leave AEW up to other bidders. Khan has repeatedly spoken highly of the relationship between the company and WBD. He’s also repeatedly said and emphasized that their media rights deal will be “huge” or “lucrative” several times over the last two years . And the thing is: The only hints provided by the negotiations are that they’ve exclusively been with WBD.
AEW is more than likely to get its deal to continue its sustainability as a wrestling promotion. While they’ve seen ratings losses year-over-year, it’s hard to imagine their relationship with WBD ending. Of course, the one thing that could doom them potentially if they don’t orchestrate this right is if WBD makes a change of leadership. Pressure has mounted and then some on CEO David Zaslav, especially after the colossal, self-inflicted screw-up over the NBA. The organization will likely pursue litigation to save face from embarrassment. Should that leadership change happen, and you could argue it might, then new people will be in the room. Khan will then negotiate, if the deal isn’t reached before that doomsday scenario emerges, with people he doesn’t have that familiarity with. Again. That’s a doomy scenario, but after this week’s events, it’s hard to discount it as a potential reality.
Once again, though, Tony Khan made himself the main character against WWE. While the company’s undying base still might not get enough of this, others might agree that this longstanding feud reached its apex years ago.
The post Tony Khan accuses WWE of meddling in AEW media rights reporting: ‘It’s none of their business’ appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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