Tony Khan Responds to WWE Events Going Head-to-Head with AEW Events
AEW Owner Tony Khan is one of the most vocal men in professional wrestling. While Tony Khan has accused WWE of contract tampering in the past, it might be impossible to substantiate these claims. However, it's become a little more evident that WWE is planning events to counteract the ones AEW is putting on. After Double or Nothing, Tony Khan held the usual media scrum. During the discussion, Tony Khan responds to WWE and their live event schedule conflicting with AEW's.
During the Double or Nothing post-media scrum, Mark Hoke of KDWN 101.5 FM in Las Vegas had the honor of being the last question. The news reporter pulled no punches as he asked Tony Khan his opinions on WWE running shows on the same night as him.
Mark Hoke asked,
"How are you feeling about other companies scheduling events on op and around yours on a consistent basis?"
Tony Khan didn't mince his words. The AEW Owner was adamant that WWE had a pattern of behavior.
Tony Khan responds to WWE tactics by saying,
"It's pretty consistent. I'd say it's the most consistent event head-to-head scheduling I've seen since Jim Crockett Promotions...
Saw a lot of scheduling that went that way, and I can tell you this will go a lot differently than that did, Mark. Thank you for asking."
Tony Khan's answer drew laughter from the crowd. It appears the AEW Owner is confident that, unlike JCP, Khan's company won't go out of business or be bought out by WWE.
WWE is the clear #1 in pro wrestling. However, it's trying to create a far distance between itself and #2. So much so that many have accused WWE of using dirty tactics that could hurt attendance at or TV ratings for AEW shows.
The perceived sabotage started in 2019 when NXT went head-to-head with Dynamite. This was in AEW's infancy and was seen as a direct attempt to derail their growth. This era was known as the Wednesday Night Wars.
While the two wrestling shows went head-to-head, it wasn't much of a battle. AEW won the ratings war consistently until NXT moved to Tuesdays in 2021.
On two occasions now, WWE has aired NXT Battleground to go head-to-head with AEW Double or Nothing. The first time was in 2023 when Carmelo Hayes defended the NXT Title successfully against Bron Breakker, and Tiffany Stratton won her first Women's Title by defeating Lyra Valkyria.
Meanwhile, the Blackpool Combat Club reigned supreme over the Elite in Anarchy in the Arena, and MJF retained the AEW Championship in a Fatal Four-Way featuring other AEW pillars, Sammy Guevara, Jack Perry, and Darby Allin.
This was the first time since 1989 that WWE promoted an event on the same night as a competitor. The last time was when WWE presented WrestleMania V on the same night as NWA's Clash of the Champions VI.
It wouldn't be the last. This past week, NXT Battleground once again took place on the same night as Double or Nothing. WWE created even more buzz by booking the first-ever TNA Title change on NXT programming, as Trick Williams won the Championship from Joe Hendry.
This kind of counter-programming might be why Tony Khan drew a comparison between what WWE is doing to AEW and how the WWF treated Jim Crockett Promotions.
In 1987, WWE launched the first-ever Survivor Series on Pay-Per-View to compete with NWA Starrcade that same night. In fact, WWE threatened to pull all future PPV events from some providers if they aired Starrcade.
The first-ever Royal Rumble took place on the USA Network in 1988. This event was on free TV, airing the same night as NWA promoted their Pay-Per-View event, Bunkhouse Stampede. Both of these stunts cost NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions money.
After the Royal Rumble, Jim Crockett Promotions had had enough. So, they created the Clash of the Champions to air on TBS for free.
The first-ever Clash of the Champions saw the historic 45-minute draw between Sting and Ric Flair for the NWA Championship. This classic went down on the same night that WWE aired WrestleMania IV on Pay-Per-View.
The WWE-AEW war is going beyond television ratings, and Pay-Per-View buys. Now, WWE is moving into their markets.
WWE is looking to expand globally, and it might be doing so at the expense of AEW. After AEW began exploring a relationship with AAA, WWE began signing former AAA talents, like Dragon Lee and Stephanie Vaquer. These tactics caused the AEW-AAA relationship to sour until the final nail in the coffin transpired when WWE bought AAA.
This purchase caused AEW to pivot and double down on its relationship with lucha libre promotion CMLL. The two decided to announce their first joint show in Mexico called AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Grand Slam is scheduled for June 18, 2025, and will take place in the historic Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico. This event has been locked in for quite a while, and although it's created some buzz in Mexico, WWE has tried to stifle that chatter.
First, the wrestling giant announced that the first collaboration between AAA and NXT will be Worlds Collide in Inglewood, California, on June 7, 2025. While that took some steam out of AEW, it was still a stateside event.
However, WWE doubled down on the sabotage by announcing that the AAA TripleMania Regalia will take place in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 15, 2025. This is just three days before AEW Grand Slam!
Shortly before AEW begins its residency at the ECW Arena, AEW will have a residency in Arlington, Texas. This residency will culminate with their annual event, All In, on July 12, 2025.
With that date set in stone, WWE is doing an Atlanta Takeover the same weekend as All In. This Takeover will feature NXT Great American Bash, Saturday Night's Main Event, and Evolution 2. Saturday Night's Main Event is obviously happening on Saturday, which is the same day of the week as All In.
Evolution is planned for Sunday. It's unknown when the Great American Bash will air. Either way, Tony Khan's suspicions of foul play by WWE aren't unwarranted.