AEW was founded by American businessman Tony Khan back in early 2019. Since then, it has become one of the leading wrestling promotions in the world and arguably WWE's biggest rival since their Monday Night Wars days.
The past few years for the company have been a mixed bag. They have seen both highs and lows, however, Khan and AEW management try their best to keep their fans satisfied and their employees happy.
Unfortunately, fortune has not always been on their side in 2024 so far. They have seen a worrying dip in viewership numbers and wrestling enthusiasts have questioned/criticized some of their booking and business decisions. Furthermore, several talents have been sidelined due to injuries (Adam Cole, Eddie Kingston, Adam Copeland, and more), and this has severely affected them.
Interestingly, Khan recently shared an update on X/Twitter informing people that he is ecstatic about the rest of the year. He added that the next few months will result in AEW's greatest year so far.
"I'm so excited for the rest of 2024 @AEW!. I think that this will be the best year in AEW yet!"
Tony Khan on the difference between WWE and AEW interviews
In a conversation with Cincy 360 earlier this year the 41-year-old stated that since interviews are not scripted in AEW, fans feel an intimate connection with the wrestlers. Meanwhile, WWE is infamous for heavily scripting promos and interviews.
“In AEW, I think people really feel a connection with the wrestlers. We don’t script the interviews here. People go out, they’re talking about, maybe they got bullet points and key pieces of information they’re trying to get out, but it feels like you’re hearing a real person talk, which isn’t always the way it feels with some of the competition’s interviews. I think that’s one major difference," said Tony Khan.
Tony Khan is the son of Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan. The 73-year-old owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Premier League's Fulham F.C. He is also co-owner of AEW, alongside his son.