All Elite Wrestling (AEW) CEO Tony Khan hosted a media call ahead of this weekend’s Revolution pay-per-view. Last Word on Sports took part in the call has a summary of everything that was discussed. Here is a recap of the Tony Khan Revolution media call.
Tony Khan AEW Revolution Media Call Notes
Tony started the AEW Revolution media call by welcoming everyone and noting we are officially on the road for Revolution. He teased big things to come for AEW and pro wrestling in general including tonight’s announcement. He noted Revolution is always one of the biggest events and he is looking forward to it.
Tonight’s Announcement
Garret Martin from Paste Magazine asked about the big announcement tonight. Tony didn’t want to say too much before the show tonight, but it is a major announcement that will affect pro wrestling as a whole.
Television Renewal and Ratings
Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer asked about peaking the television ratings for the next TV renewal. Tony wants the product to be as strong as possible for when renewal comes up. He loves where they are at and thinks they are happy with their performance. Noted that Dynamite has been top 3 on cable since the TBS move. He thinks they will keep a great momentum going forward.
Brandon asked about Nielson ratings and African American viewership and noted it is on par with regular TV but lower than that of WWE’s. Tony noted he is cognisant of it and wants to grow that audience and expand the viewership. He thinks there has been better representation than ever before and new stars coming in as well as championship representation. He noted Jade Cargill and the push she is getting.
More Western Time Zone Shows
Jonathon Hood from ESPN radio Chicago asked about more shows from the airing from western time zones including Canada in 2022. Tony mentioned Double or Nothing in Vegas and the following television shows in Southern California. Tony is hoping to do more shows in the west coast and Mountain time zone. He noted they did Denver and Salt Lake pre-pandemic. A lot of the dates are rescheduled from during the pandemic but once those are cleared he would love to do more of the west coast.
Revolution Setting the Tone
Amy Nemmity from Wrestle Joy asked if Revolution is going to set the tone for the year? Tony says it will set the tone for 2022 and he is looking forward to the event and it setting a tone for a great year. He brought up the first Revolution in 2020 and it was one of the strongest cards they put together and it delivered. Because of that people now expect great matches from Revolution. He is excited to be in Orlando with a lot of hardcore fans and also a great travel destination for fans to come to.
Balancing The Roster and Cody’s Departure
Greg Oliver from Slam Wrestling asked about AEW roster growth over the past couple of years and how hard it is to manage the balance. He also asked about Cody leaving AEW. Tony mentioned it is a lot to manage a big roster but thinks they have the best roster in pro wrestling. He is very pleased that they have a great partnership with TNT and TBS and they gave a second show to showcase talent. There are so many great talents to feature and more to step up.
He was sad to see Cody and Brandi leave AEW. Doesn’t have much to say but appreciates both of them and all they did for AEW and wishes them the best. He spoke highly of Cody and has nothing but respect for him.
Streaming Service
Mike Johnson from PWInsider asked about a streaming service if it is self-produced or part of HBO Max? Tony mentioned he gets asked that a lot. It is something they are looking to do but can’t say much more. They work with a great tech and media company that is constantly growing their library and sees great opportunity.
Who We Are Theme Songs
Chris Mueller from Bleacher Report asked about wrestlers using their AEW Who We Are as entrance themes on AEW Dark. Tony wants to leave that to some extent up to the wrestlers. Thinks they are great songs that tell great stories and some make great entrances. Some want to walk out to their song and it is on a case-by-case basis. Scorpio Sky for example wants to experiment with using his as an entrance. He wants the wrestlers to feel good about what they walk out to. Tony never forces a wrestler to walk out to a song they are not comfortable with.
He noted later that Mikey Rukus has composed and played so many great themes and it is great for the fans. The songs are available are online and cites Adam Cole and Keith Lee’s themes as doing well on the internet. He is also a fan of RJ City and RJ will be creating content on Road to Revolution.
Running Order
Stephanie Chase from Digital Spy asked about putting together the match order for Revolution. Tony answered by saying it is always challenging. This show has so many great matches and maybe the most challenging one ever to put in order. It will be a great pay-per-view with four hours of action. The match order is something to put a lot of thought into especially with so many great matches, but it is good to have such a deep roster and card.
Bigger Venues
Connor Casey from Comicbook.com asked about Double or Nothing running from the T-Mobile Arena. Is this a sign they are targeting bigger venues for pay-per-views? Tony mentioned that it is but they are still looking at a variety of venues. It is a great venue for a premium PPV. It is a top modern sports arena. MGM Grand Garden where they have run previously is a big arena, T-Mobile is a little newer and a little bigger, and they are looking forward to the challenge.
Jeff Hardy
Nick Hausman from Wrestle Inc asked if Jeff Hardy to AEW is a forgone conclusion? Tony said it is not, but he likes Jeff. He thinks he is obligated to another company for a few days. When that is up he would love to bring Jeff to AEW and thinks very highly of him.
Cody Rhodes
Jason Powell from Pro Wrestling Net asked about the Cody renewal option that The Young Bucks have and was utilized. Tony tried to reach a longer agreement beyond what was in the renewal. At one point it sounded like that was the route. When they couldn’t settle the last thing they wanted to do was keep someone here that didn’t want to be. He thinks the world of Cody and has a lot of respect for Cody.
Trios Titles
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful asked about a trios title. Tony is interested and will be much more receptive to it when Kenny Omega is back and thinks the trios division will be much stronger when he is back. Things they can have the best trios division with their roster.
Women Main Eventing
Will Washington from Grapsody asked about women main eventing, specifically at Revolution. Tony mentioned Britt Baker main eventing some of the biggest matches in company history. He cited the main event of Grand Slam, the first Rampage, the first Battle of the Belts, and St.Patrick’s Day slam. She has delivered in every match and he is working on the card order. It is not what he has going on last but it is one of the biggest matches on the card. Some of the biggest matches in the company haven’t been the main event. He is open to having women in the main event for sure. Tony knows we expect a great match between Baker and Rosa as the rivalry has been great. The names will be closely associated with each other in wrestling history. He mentioned the lights-out match and how it was a classic and the great reception it got. This is another chapter in a great rivalry with the title on the line.
He mentioned Hangman Adam Page and Adam Cole will close the show on Sunday. He noted Hangman has had great matches since winning the title, quoting the two Bryan Danielson matches and the Lance Archer match. Tony mentioned he and Cole talked for over four hours before he signed to AEW.
Ceasro
John Alva from Ad Free Shows asked about the recently released Cesaro. Tony likes him a lot and they meet many years ago and he is a true gentleman. He is a phenomenal athlete and puts great matches together with his in ring psychology. He is open to having him in AEW.
AEW Video Game
Claire Stanley – One Stop Wrestling asked about the AEW video game. Tony mentioned no specific updates other than they are working every day on it and voice tracks were recorded this week. They may be recording some chants and content with the crowd at Dark this week. The game is still on track and hopefully to have more updates soon.
Pay-Per-View Without Cody
Izzy from The Hot Tag asked if there is pressure this weekend as it is the first pay-per-view without Cody. Tony doesn’t feel pressure. They have done a couple of PPVs without Cody and they were successful. He mentioned All Out 2021 was the biggest and arguable strongest PPV and he was not a part of it. He is great when has been on the card but they can do a great show without him.
Orange Cassidy and Danhaues Being Net Positive
Bill Pritchard from WrestleZone mentioned a Busted Open Interview Tony did where he called Orange Cassidy a net positive and using that as a barometer as well as Danhausen and his recent signing. Tony mentioned both are very engaging and have great social engagement with fans.
In the ring, they are very different wrestlers. He called Orange OC a net positive and that is a great way to measure incoming talent. Orange has had a lot of matches that have done great TV ratings and has delivered. He brings an audience and delivers numbers. Even if you don’t like the tactics or psychology he can go in the ring. Danhausen also has a great audience. The barometer is always changing but net positive is a great thing to look at.
This concluded the Tony Khan AEW Revolution media call.
Thank you for joining us for coverage of the Tony Khan AEW Revolution media call. Stay tuned to Last Word on Sports for live Revolution coverage this Sunday night.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on the Tony Khan AEW Revolution media call and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs Fridays at 10 pm ET on TNT.
