A recent press call with AEW CEO Tony Khan has provided some tantalising information about the upcoming Revolution PPV and the company’s future in general. Here’s a summarisation of what was discussed.
The AEW press call took place a matter of hours before Tony Khan announced his purchase of fellow wrestling company Ring of Honor. The announcement was made on the March 2nd edition of AEW Dynamite at AEW’s home of Daily’s Place – and shocked the wrestling world.
Before AEW, along with Impact, ROH was the original home of some of today’s biggest wrestling stars. To name just a few, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole all cut their teeth there. Tony Khan’s announcement that he is now the new owner of ROH has changed the wrestling landscape as we head into the Revolution PPV and beyond.
The Ring of Honor buyout means that any member of the ROH roster could show up at Revolution. Some former members of the ROH roster are currently invading Impact Wrestling as the stable ‘Honor No More’. Could a similar story play out at AEW’s Revolution PPV? It may be too early for such an angle, although it would certainly play into the event’s name.
Like the WCW/ECW alliance that invaded WWE following Vince McMahon’s buyout of those companies. This new invasion could potentially, in kayfabe, see disgruntled former ROH employees take their frustration out on the company’s new owners. This could cause the ROH invasion of Impact to spill through the forbidden door and into AEW.
During the press call, Tony Khan described tonight’s Revolution card as “the strongest we’ve ever had, which is consistent with our Revolution brand.” This continues to support the idea that the Revolution PPV is considered AEW’s marquee event, comparable to shows like WrestleMania, Starrcade, or Impact’s Bound for Glory.
However, Revolution is yet to match shows like WrestleMania in terms of grandeur and spectacle, especially when it comes to venue size. Although, when Tony Khan was asked are AEW now looking to book larger venues for their premium events, he responded with “Absolutely”, citing the T Mobile Arena as an example.
Khan stated he was also keen to bring AEW to the UK and suggested Fulham Football Club Stadium, Craven Cottage, as a potential venue. As the Khan family also owns Fulham FC, Craven Cottage could serve a similar function to Daily’s Place, only across the pond.
When asked if it was challenging to manage such a large roster, Khan confirmed it was, but that he believes AEW has “the best [roster] in professional wrestling and a great partnership with TNT and TBS.” This gave them the chance to create a second show with AEW Rampage, something that gave the roster more opportunities to shine thanks to the increased TV time.
Veteran wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer asked Khan about how he intends to “peak the company” when the next round of TV contract negotiations arrive. Khan assured him that there is a plan in place and that AEW should be in the “strongest position” they’ve ever been in when it comes time to renew the contracts.
After fielding a few questions about the departure of Cody and Brandi Rhodes, and wishing them all the best, Tony Khan then started discussing the future of AEW and its wrestlers. He praised MJF, especially after his earth-shattering promo on a recent addition of AEW Dynamite, saying, “MJF is a most extraordinary talent and well-rounded pro wrestler, you need a number of skills, and he has them all.”
Khan went on to praise Orange Cassidy saying that the performer “consistently delivers” and “can really go.” He admitted he had underestimated the popularity of Cassidy when AEW started, but now understands that the Best Friends stable member brings a committed audience. Khan also praised recent signee Danhausen, saying that he and Orange Cassidy complemented each other very well, but that they were very different wrestlers.
The AEW chairman expressed interest in signing both Jeff Hardy and Cesaro/Claudio, showering both with admiration. However, he was unsure if and when such a deal would be possible. At the time this press call took place, Hardy was still contractually obligated to WWE.
When asked, Tony Khan gave an update about a potential AEW streaming service for fans who want to watch content more casually. Khan admitted this was a question he gets asked frequently and revealed there were plans in the pipeline, but he couldn’t reveal anything yet. The purchase of ROH has also now fuelled speculation that AEW could take over their Honor Club service, but this remains to be seen.
Khan was then asked about AEW starting its own Trios Tag division. He revealed that he’s open to the idea, but is waiting for Kenny Omega to come back to make sure the division is as strong as it could be. Finally, Tony Khan gave assembled reporters a basic update on the AEW video game, which he described as a “major investment” and confirmed more information would be coming soon.
The AEW Revolution PPV is tonight, March 6, 2022, at the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.
It begins at 8 pm ET on Bleacher Reports streaming service.
UK viewers can tune in at 1 am GMT on the FITE TV app on March 7, 2022.
