All Elite Wrestling CEO and founder Tony Khan called the promotion company the ‘the greatest challenger brand in all of sports,’ ahead of it and NJPW’s co-branded PPV Forbidden Door.
Khan hailed the show that took place Sunday evening for the international interest it generated, before claiming that the upcoming AEW All In will set new attendance records in the wrestling world.
He suggested that the success of his promotion company has created an important ‘spirit of competition’ within wrestling against the likes of WWE and shut down the idea of merging with its rival.
Speaking with DailyMail.com on a press call, Khan said: ‘It is an interesting time in the MMA business, just as it’s a very interesting time in the pro wrestling business with a lot of things happening and with the success of AEW and our international expansion, big things like this sold-out Forbidden Door Show and all the international interest around it and the anticipation for AEW All In, with over 65,000 tickets sold, setting all sorts of attendance and revenue records.
‘It will be the biggest wrestling event ever in Europe. And outside of a couple of the WrestleMania’s, as it stands right now, and only a couple of them in all the years, it would stand only next to a few of those as the most successful highest-grossing wrestling event of all time.
Tony Khan recently called All Elite Wrestling ‘the greatest challenger brand in all of sports’
Khan shut the door on any potential merger with rival wrestling promotion WWE in the future
‘So, I believe that with all those great things happening, people would look at that and say, well sure, it would be great if there was that same competition in MMA, if that same spirit of competition. I do believe we are the greatest challenger brand in all of sports.
‘And I believe that, I think this will end very differently than the AFL because I don’t intend to become part of the league we compete with. I think it’s good for us to be two separate leagues, whereas the merger of the AFL and the NFL turned out to be the best thing for the fans.
‘I think in wrestling what we built in a relatively short time is very exciting and looks good to a lot of people. And if you could create that MMA, it would be very exciting.’
Khan founded AEW back in 2018, before the promotion officially debuted in early 2019.
After putting together a roster that initially was headlined by wrestlers Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, ‘The Young Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson, and Cody Rhodes, AEW became considered as a legitimate potential rival to WWE.
The company has since then expanded not only their roster, but also their reach within the wrestling industry. Khan also purchased Ring of Honor in March of 2022, and has formed partnerships with Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), Impact Wrestling, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
AEW has formed mutually beneficial partnerships with several top wrestling promotions
The partnerships have led to wrestlers competing in both companies (pictured Kenny Omega (L) against Will Ospreay (L) at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom in January)
Khan poses with superstar wrestlers CM Punk and Britt Baker (left) and former TBS Champion Jade Cargil (right)
AEW has also recently launched their third weekly show Collision which airs on Saturday nights to go along with Dynamite on Wednesdays and Rampage on Fridays.
The company is also only days away from the release of their first ever video game AEW FIGHT FOREVER on June 29.
As well as debunking speculation over a merger, Khan shot down a rumor that he and his family had been in talks to purchase Bellator MMA.
The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani had reported earlier last week that the Khans were interested in the purchase but Khan blasted it as inaccurate before taking a sly dig at the Canadian-American reporter.
‘I was surprised to see that report,’ Khan said. ‘I haven’t had any conversations with them about that. I don’t know what that was about. My father hasn’t had any conversations with them either. I don’t even know who owns the promotion.
The AEW founder and CEO also took shots at well-known combat sports reporter Ariel Helwani
Khan has previously taken shots at the journalist when he called him a ‘fraud’ on Twitter
‘Is Scott Coker the owner, the President? I’m not sure. I’m familiar with Bellator. I’m familiar with MMA. I’ve never worked professionally in the space, other than having some stars from UFC appear at times in AEW. I saw that report, and there’s really nothing to that.
‘I’m not sure where that rumor got started. I’ve honestly never had any talks, and my father has never had any talks, about buying Bellator, so I was surprised to see that. Was that something Ariel Helwani reported? It would not be the first inaccurate thing Ariel Helwani has reported. That is completely inaccurate, but that’s Ariel Helwani for you.’
Helwani had reported the story during an June 21 episode of ‘The MMA Hour,’ stating that Tony and his father, Shad Khan, showed interest in buying the MMA promotion, which is currently owned by Paramount.
Khan has previously taken shots at the journalist when he called him a ‘fraud’ on Twitter in February.
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