Tony Khan levels major accusations against WWE; slams them for spreading false rumors against AEW

Tony Khan dropped a bombshell during today's media call ahead of ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024. The AEW President accused WWE PR of spreading misinformation regarding the Jacksonville-based promotion's negotiations with its network partner, Warner Bros. Discovery.

AEW is in the final year of its contract and is deep in negotiations with WBD for a new TV rights deal. Recent reports have provided conflicting information on where the company stands in these negotiations, with info dropping just this week that an agreement was in place. However, this report was later disputed by Fightful Select.

According to Tony Khan, the reason some of these inaccurate reports are being published is because WWE's PR team is spreading rumors that AEW has finalized negotiations for a new agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery and that the new contract is on the same level as the original deal.

"You know, I don't usually do this, but since Brandon [Thurston] brought it up and asked...you know, I had a major member of the wrestling media mention to me yesterday, WWE is telling people that... I don't know why WWE's telling people about our media rights deal, I don't know why 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 that the deal is done at the same level that it was gonna be, our previous deal. That's not the case," said Khan.

Khan further admonished the Stamford-based promotion while questioning their prerogative in discussing All Elite Wrestling's business dealings with Warner Bros. Discovery. He also confirmed that AEW's current negotiations are for a "big increase" in fees.

"I don't know why WWE PR and why major wrestling media members who are very credible and have never lied to me are, you know, 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, because when we make a deal for AEW, it's gonna be a great deal with a big increase over what we've been doing. We're in a really good position. We've been doing great business here, despite what they're trying to do to us," he added.

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Tony Khan would be open to a crossover event with WWE

Despite the rivalry that exists between AEW and WWE, Tony Khan remains a fan of wrestling and is open to collaboration with other companies. The All Elite Wrestling President has built an alliance with several promotions over the last few years, but the door between AEW and WWE remains firmly closed.

In a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Tony Khan was asked for his thoughts on a potential crossover show with the industry juggernaut. Khan revealed that he would love to see it happen.

"I would love if that were possible, I don’t know that it is, but it would be great if it was possible for the fans, I think that would be wonderful, but there are a lot of challenging business things in the world of pro-wrestling that I think would make that a very challenging thing to do," said Khan.

While it's natural that the #1 and #2 companies in any industry would be hesitant to collaborate, there could be some especially bad blood between AEW and WWE. The Stamford-based company has worked to outmaneuver and counter-book its young competitor in the past, and Tony Khan has often responded with vitriol, further fueling the divide.