Tony Khan reveals how much TNT-TBS President was willing to bid for WWE SmackDown before he started AEW

Tony Khan has shared some interesting details regarding the creation of AEW. He also revealed how much a TNT-TBS President was willing to bid for WWE Smackdown before proceeding to work with the Jacksonville-based company.

All Elite Wrestling was founded in 2019. Its first pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, took place on May 25, and the first episode of the promotion's flagship show, Dynamite, emanated from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, on October 2. Since then, AEW has emerged as a major promotion, employing world-class talent from across the globe.

During a recent interview with Locked on NFL, Tony Khan reflected on the inception and development of All Elite Wrestling. He claimed to have begun in 2018 and spoke about a crucial meeting with Kevin Reilly, the then-president of TBS and TNT.

Khan revealed that he had asked Reilly whether Turner was contemplating bidding on television rights for wrestling, specifically for WWE Smackdown. Reilly had supposedly responded in the affirmative.

“I started working on the idea for AEW in 2018. The concept to launch AEW came together as I saw an opportunity with a pool of talented wrestlers becoming available in early 2019. In April 2018, I began actively pursuing this vision. One pivotal moment was at a Beverly Hills party on a Friday night, where I spoke with my friend, who was then the President of TBS and TNT, Kevin Reilly. I asked him if Turner was considering bidding on wrestling TV rights, specifically for SmackDown. He confirmed they were, with a bid range of $150 to $175 million annually.”

Khan stated that he had suggested to Reilly that Turner could instead launch a new wrestling program on TNT and later TBS (which has been airing Dynamite since 2022) for a relatively more cost-friendly investment.

“Given my close industry observation, I anticipated the bidding would exceed $200 million, which it did. I suggested to Kevin that instead of pursuing SmackDown, Turner could launch a new wrestling league on TNT and eventually TBS for considerably less investment. That conversation set the stage for what followed,” Khan explained. [H/T Fightful]

Notably, Smackdown linked a deal with FOX worth $205 million annually. WWE's blue brand debuted on the network just two days after the premiere of Dynamite on TNT.

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Latest update on AEW's deal with Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery has partnered with All Elite Wrestling since the promotion was founded in 2019. The media conglomerate has been in talks with the Tony Khan-led promotion over a new programming deal for some time now.

On the latest episode of the Beyond the Bell podcast, Andrew Zarian offered an update on AEW's ongoing media rights negotiation with WBD. He claimed that key figures from WBD are keen to work out a deal soon, and both sides are interested in continuing their working relationship.

It remains to be seen when a formal announcement regarding AEW's future with WBD is made.