All Elite Wrestling may have only been around for a matter of months, 13 Huge Takeaways From Tony Khan And Stone Cold Steve Austin Interview Steve Austin Podcast AEW
but the new promotion already has a lot going for it.
Announced on January 1st, the new company has certainly impressed fans,
with their first pay per view Double or Nothing being a hit,
and their upcoming show All Out selling out in less than 15 minutes.
Bringing in a mix of established stars and fresh faces, part of this is because of Tony Khan,
the company’s financier who is able to provide a chequebook that rivals WWE.
Speaking recently on the Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast, the financier had plenty to say
and here are 13 huge takeaways from Tony Khan’s Stone Cold Interview
13: He’s pleased with Double or Nothing
In case you’ve been living under a social media rock for the past month or so,
AEW’s first show Double or Nothing took place in May to a huge reaction.
The show, which saw the debut of Jon Moxley in the main event, has already been considered
by many fans to be one of the greatest pay per views ever, an attitude that Khan agrees with.
In the interview, Khan said the show was a quote “grand slam” and hopes to continue
the company’s success at All Out this August.
12: More titles for the company
At Double or Nothing, AEW will determine it’s first World Champion when Adam ‘Hangman’
Page battles Chris Jericho for the dubious honor.
According to Khan though, this won’t be the only title around for the new company,
as he told Austin that there will be a tag team tournament when AEW’s TV show starts in the fall.
The tournament will determine the first AEW Tag Team Champions, and though there will be
many teams participating, our money is on the Young Bucks.
Recently capturing the AAA Tag Titles, the brothers clearly have what it takes to win gold
and look good doing it, as Khan said the Bucks’ title win was the highest television
rating the company had ever done by a wide margin.
11: He’s a huge Bret Hart fan
Not only is Tony Khan a big financial backer for the new company, but he is also a huge wrestling fan.
Speaking to the Rattlesnake, Khan spoke about having Bret Hart appear at Double or Nothing,
where the Hitman unveiled the new AEW title, and said the act meant a lot to him.
According to Khan, The Hitman’s involvement came around during a phone conversation
between he and company founder Cody Rhodes.
Khan told Rhodes about possibly incorporating legends like Ricky Steamboat,
Ric Flair and Bret Hart, and Rhodes loved the idea of using the latter.
Having a two-time WWE Hall of Famer appear in an AEW ring was a huge score
for the new promotion, and it’ll be interesting to see which other legends
make the jump to AEW in the coming years.
10: Where he was during Double or Nothing
As a major player with AEW, it’s no surprise that Tony Khan attended Double or Nothing,
but ever since the event, fans have wondered what role he took at the event.
Was he in the sky box glancing down at the matches and fans a’la Ted Turner with WCW,
or was he all hands in much like Vince McMahon in WWE?
Revealing the truth on Austin’s podcast, the financer said he was much more like McMahon,
completely involved backstage, and could be spotted by wrestlers in the Gorilla position.
Unlike McMahon though, Khan wasn’t ruling the backstage as an overlord,
instead working in complete harmony with his crew, realising there were much more
experienced people who he should be taking orders from, not the other way around.
This clearly paid off for Khan, as Double or Nothing is being regarded as one of the
greatest wrestling pay per views ever, much like last year’s All IN,
and if the company can keep this momentum going,
there’s seemingly no limit to what they will be able to achieve.
9: Duration Of The Weekly Show
Between RAW, SmackDown, 205 Live, NXT and NXT UK, there’s no shortage of content
to watch on a weekly basis in WWE.
Perhaps it’s too much though, as the five shows make up a collective 8 hours of programming,
which will take its toll on even the most loyal of fans.
According to Khan, the new TV show for AEW will be a two hour event, but didn’t say
what day of the week the new show will fall on.
The show will also tour according to Khan, who said that the company will focus
on travelling across the United States at first, but will work to going outside the country.
With the money provided, this is definitely a feasible possibility for the company,
and could put them in direct competition with WWE.
8: Role of Christopher Daniels
Though he may be best known for his time in TNA and as one part of the SCU
with Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, Christopher Daniels can do a lot more than just wrestle.
During the podcast, Khan said Daniels is a great person to help the company backstage,
citing the former Fallen Angel as the head of talent relations.
“He does a lot of work backstage that nobody really knows and doesn’t get a lot of credit
for and he’s an incredible person and a great guy too.” Khan said.
7: A Statement On House Shows
Though AEW will tour, house shows aren’t Khan’s core business focus, as he told
the Rattlesnake he doesn’t want to push too much mileage on performers by having shows
that won’t provide much revenue.
House shows will still occur, though the financier wanted to make it clear
that they won’t host events like this without top performers.
As a prediction, Khan said he would like to get to 100 to 120 events a year,
though he doesn’t think every wrestler will be on every show.
With how quickly their pay per views have sold out, it’s likely that these house
shows will be a hit when the company starts touring.
6: There will be no off-season
With how busy and rigorous a WWE Superstar’s schedule can be, there have been calls
calls for years for the Sports Entertainment Juggernaut to introduce an off-season,
allowing wrestlers to rest and recuperate before getting back in the ring.
This isn’t a rare thing, as almost every sport, including Football, Basketball and Soccer
include off-seasons, though the company has not implemented one yet.
During the interview, Khan said how there will also be no off-season for AEW,
saying that real wrestling fans don’t want to take a single week off.
Khan also told Austin that whilst there will be no off season, the company won’t have
wrestlers on the road for five or six days a week,
a great act by the company who wants to protect their talent.
5: Fyter Fest will have a pre-show
During the interview, Khan announced that Fyter Fest will have a special one hour pre-show,
which will air on YouTube before the event itself airs for free of B/R Live.
Khan also said that their next event after Fyter Fest, Fight For the Fallen, will also air for free,
presumably on B/R Live as well, on July 13th this year from Jacksonville.
4: Stone Cold Recollecting his interview with Dean Ambrose, AKA Jon Moxley
Tony Khan may have said a lot during the interview with the Texas Rattlesnake,
but ‘Stone Cold’ had plenty to say about one of AEW’s hottest stars at the moment, Jon Moxley.
In case you didn’t know, Austin hosted a video episode of his podcast with Moxley,
then Dean Ambrose years ago on the WWE Network, and the pair didn’t gel.
The interview is boring at the best of times and downright cringey at the worst,
as it was clear to everyone watching that the two former champions just weren’t on the same level,
much to the Bionic redneck’s chagrin.
Speaking to Khan, Austin revealed the interview still bothers him, saying:
“I was there to get people over and make them come off like a million bucks.
We came off on the wrong street, kept making left turns, and were never on track.
My fans were wondering what was wrong. That interview is one thing I think about almost every single day. It still haunts me”
A rare sign of vulnerability by Austin, the Rattlesnake continued, saying how the duo would
have a great conversation on the phone not long after, and have no beef with each other, saying:
“I think he’s going to come down to Los Angeles and we’ll do another podcast together.
This has haunted me for so damn long and when I make someone look the way they’re not
supposed to look, that haunts me. I’m looking forward to talking to Jon Moxley”.
In the interview, Khan compared Moxley’s revival to Austin’s own after being fired by
WCW in the mid-90s, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Khan
will find a way to get the Rattlesnake working with AEW in the future.
3: His Father’s Role in AEW
Part of what has made Tony Khan such a big hitter in the financial world is his father,
Shahid Khan, the Pakistani-American billionaire businessman who fans may know as the
the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Though Shahid Khan was at Double or Nothing, his son wanted to make it clear
on the podcast that the billionaire has nothing to do with AEW,
and has no power backstage when it comes to booking.
This is definitely good news, as though he may be a billionaire, we’d prefer our booking
to be done by people who have decades in the business,
instead of just going for the richest person around.
Though he may not be too hands on, Shahid is still very interested, and according to Tony,
took the time to speak to Cody before his double or Nothing match with Goldust,
helping to loosen the former NWA World Champion up.
2: His opinion on Wrestling
It may seem weird that Khan would have to say this, but the financier has made it clear
that All Elite Wresting will indeed focus on wrestling.
In the interview, Khan made it clear that the show will provide genuinely entertaining
wrestling, quote “for the first time in decades,” when the TV show launches later this year.
A not so subtle dig at WWE, Khan also spoke about lapsed fans, who AEW are clearly
targeting with their promotion with their highly entertaining matches.
One such match at Double or Nothing was Cody Rhodes vs his brother Dustin, a match
that Khan and Austin both loved, with the former WWE Champion saying:
““The basic structure, the story that they told, the history, now the blood.
The finish at the end, finally, through all the great things that they did, nothing crazy,
nothing high-risk. Basic, but the timing was there and it was all there for a reason.”
High praise from the Rattlesnake, Khan also enjoyed the match on an emotional level
comparing the bout to Austin Vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13.
“It’s a very different personal issue, but to me as far as invoking as some kind of
emotional response that’s very much to me to that level that was another match that got
another five-star rating in the Observer. Yeah, I absolutely think it was one of the great single matches.”
A self-professed life long fan of Goldust, it’s clear that Khan is ecstatic to be working
with the Bizarre One, and hopes to carry on doing so for years to come.
1.Full time Benefits
When Khan was discussing the proposed schedule for AEW talent, there was one
huge point that stood out.
Whilst the financer repeated his claim that Wrestlers would spend more than five days on the
road, he also spoke about several benefits that competitors will be able to claim.
Without giving too much away, Khan hinted at benefits the wrestlers could receive
which would definitely set them apart from WWE.
Ever since John Oliver eviscerated the McMahon led company on his show Last Week Tonight
both fans and non-fans have wondered about what exactly wrestlers
can expect to receive from their employers.
Even already, AEW stars have been able to show their own creativity, with
Kenny Omega’s passion for gaming being indulged at Fyter Fest, and Khan saying
that all AEW employees can expect “full-time benefits.”
Whilst we’re not sure what AEW stars can expect, receiving perks like Holidays,
a pension plan and even an insurance programme could see a throng of WWE talent
join the new company, something McMahon desperately wants to avoid.
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