INTERVIEW: AEW CEO Tony Khan joins The Coach and Vince Russo | Coach and Bro | April 7

Lady, kind of [ __ ] tells me that real angel mess trying to feed me all of your love and charm. Angel's little, I always want to meet up.

OH, AND YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE. WHAT'S GOOD, EVERYBODY? WELCOME INTO A VERY SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE OF THE COACH AND BRO SHOW. OF COURSE, I AM THE COACH, AND WE TOLD YOU A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS. BUT BEFORE I EVEN GET INTO IT, I GOT TO BRING IN MY PARTNER BECAUSE HE HELPED SET THIS WHOLE THING UP, THE GREATEST WRITER IN THE HISTORY OF PRO WRESTLING, OF COURSE, THE ONE AND ONLY VINCE RUSSO. AND VINCE, I KIND OF WANT TO SET THE TONE BEFORE WE BRING TONY IN ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH TODAY BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT FOR BOTH OF US, CUZ THERE'S MISCONCEPTIONS OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T LIKE AW. COULD NOT BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH, OR THAT SOMETIMES IN INTERVIEWS TONY DOESN'T ANSWER THE QUESTIONS DIRECTLY. AND WE'RE GOING TO JUST HAVE CONVERSATIONS LIKE GROWN-ASS MEN. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?

YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO BECAUSE WHEN WHEN I LOOK AT THE AEW PRODUCT AND WHEN I LOOK AT TONY, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO. >> YEP. >> AND THAT'S WHY I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THIS DAY TO COME. I I'D LOVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH TONY BECAUSE COACH, I'VE SAID THIS, WE WE'RE GOING TO LEARN THINGS FROM THIS INTERVIEW AND AND I HOPE TONY DOES AS WELL. AND COACH, I WANT TO SAY THIS, TOO, MAN. I GIVE HIM ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD FOR COMING ON HERE. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS BUSINESS WHO HAVE DODGED ME FOR OVER TWO DECADES. AND THE FACT THAT TONY IS COMING ON THIS SHOW REALLY DOES SAY A LOT ABOUT HIS CHARACTER. SO I I WANT TO PUT THAT OVER TO BEGIN WITH. >> NO DOUBT. WE WANT TO PUT OVER THEIR BIG PAY-PER-VIEW THIS SUNDAY. IT'S DYNASTY. IT'S IN VANCOUVER AT THE ROGER CENTER, THE BIG MAIN EVENT. KITTY OMEGA AND MJF LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW 8 EASTERN, THE ZERO HOUR AT 7:00 P.M. UH, IT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY, REALLY. AND THEY'RE KNOWN FOR THEIR PAY-PER-VIEWS NOW. SO, WE GOT A TON OF TOPICS TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, AND HOPEFULLY NOT THE LAST, THE AEW CEO AND PRESIDENT, THE ONE AND ONLY MR. TONY KHAN. HOW ARE YOU, SIR?

>> I'M VERY WELL. THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME ON YOUR SHOW. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE INVITATION. >> ABSOLUTELY. TAKE YOUR EYES TO THE RIGHT JUST A LITTLE BIT AND LOOK BACK THERE. YOU GOT ME NOW? >> I SEE YOU GUYS. >> PERFECT. PERFECT. PERFECT. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. SO, WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED. TONY, YOU JUST HEARD MY PREAMBLE. AND THIS IS NOT A GOTCHA INTERVIEW. WE'RE SO EXCITED TO JUST GET TO KNOW YOU AND TO KIND OF TAKE THE HANDCUFFS OFF AND FOR THE AUDIENCE TO GET TO KNOW YOU AS WELL. IS THAT COOL? >> YEAH, IT SOUNDS GREAT. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. UH I THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME ON AND I'M EXCITED TO TALK WITH YOU. THANKS FOR TALKING ABOUT WRESTLING WITH ME AND UH YOU BOTH CERTAINLY HAVE TONS OF GREAT EXPERIENCE AND LIKE YOU SAID I'M EXCITED TO LEARN FROM YOU GUYS AND HEAR WHAT YOU THINK.

>> AWESOME. GO AHEAD. UH MR. RUSSO, KICK US OFF. >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, TONY, I WAS I WAS THINKING OF THE FIRST QUESTION THAT THAT CAN KIND OF REALLY OPEN UP THE INTERVIEW AND AND I REALLY BELIEVE THIS IS IT. OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU STARTED AEW, YOU HAD GOALS. OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE GOALS TODAY. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT WERE THE ORIGINAL GOALS WHEN YOU OPENED THE COMPANY AND WHAT ARE THOSE GOALS IN 2026?

>> THANK YOU, VINCE. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ASKING. UH, I WANTED TO LAUNCH A WRESTLING PROMOTION FOR ALL THE FANS UH WHO WANTED TO SEE WRESTLING AT THAT TIME BROUGHT BACK TO TNT AND TBS. YOU KNOW, ALL TOO WELL, VINCE, WRESTLING ON TNT AND TBS IS AN AMERICAN STAPLE. AND I ALSO BELIEVE THERE WAS A HUGE INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE. I'VE SPENT A LOT OF MY TIME LIVING AND WORKING IN ENGLAND, UH, LIVING IN LONDON AND SPENDING TIME AROUND ENGLAND, TRAVELING FOR FOOTBALL, AND I KNOW THERE'S A GREAT WRESTLING AUDIENCE THERE. SO, AT THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN WE LAUNCHED, WE HAD THESE GREAT MEDIA PARTNERS, TDS, TNT, AND ITV, AND ALL OF THEM HAVE A GREAT HISTORY OF WRESTLING. AND FROM THE BEGINNING WORKING WITH UH THESE COMPANIES, MY GOAL IS TO KEEP THE COMPANY RUNNING STRONG AND PRODUCING SHOWS THAT THE FANS LIKE AND UH THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE AW GROW, EXPAND, ADD MORE TV AND AND MORE MEDIA PARTNERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

>> TONY, AND I WANT TO HELP YOU OUT BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE. CAN YOU BRING YOUR EYES DOWN BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING OFF THE CAMERA? NO. TO TO YOUR RIGHT. LOOK RIGHT THERE. YOU GO RIGHT THERE. THAT'S RIGHT AT US. PERFECT. PERFECT. PERFECT. SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THOUGH THAT I LEARNED AND WE LEARNED IN WRESTLING IS THAT THE BOYS ARE THE BOYS AND THE EXECUTIVES ARE THE EXECUTIVES. YOU CHOSE EARLY ON TO HAVE THE BOYS BE EVPS. HOW DID THAT OR HOW HAS THAT GONE AND HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MINDSET ON HAVING THE LIKES OF UH KENNY OMEGA, A YOUNG BUCKS, A CHRIS JERICHO BE A PART OF THAT EXECUTIVE TREE?

>> WELL, I'M REALLY EXCITED YOU ASK. WE'VE GOT WRESTLERS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND WE'VE GOT STAFF THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND SOME PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT BOTH THE WRESTLING SIDE AND THE OFFICE SIDE. THOSE ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, KENNY OMEGA AND THE YOUNG BUCKS HAVE BEEN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS HERE SINCE DAY ONE. UH WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THEIR LAUNCH AND WITHOUT THE CHRIS JERICHO VERSUS KENNY OMEGA MATCH IN THE TOKYO DOME IN 2018, I'M NOT SURE I WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THAT THE ECONOMY AND AND THE POSSIBILITIES WERE THERE. WHEN I SAW HOW MUCH UH REALLY CHRIS JERICHO AND KENNY OMEGA WERE ABLE TO UH GROW THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS WITH REALLY IN SOME WAYS I THOUGHT ONE HAND TIED BEHIND THEIR BACK AND HAVE SO MUCH INTEREST IN AUDIENCE FOR WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN 2018 IN NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING, A COMPANY THAT YOU GUYS ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. UH FOR ME I LOVE WORKING WITH UH DIFFERENT SPORTS BUT FOR ME WRESTLING'S ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE THING. SO HAVING THOSE GUYS INVOLVED, YOU MENTIONED KENNY OMEGA, YOUNG BUCKS AS EVPS, CHRIS JERICHO HERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. UH THEY'RE ALL INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CREATION OF AW. I WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT THOSE GUYS AND THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO US TODAY.

>> BUT I WANT TO I WANT YOU TO GET SPECIFIC FOR ME BECAUSE A LOT OF FANS WANT TO KNOW YOU YOU YOU KIND OF BROAD STROKES, BUT WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY DO WHEN IT COMES TO EXECUTIVE WORK OUTSIDE OF THEIR TALENT WORK?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFERENT IN THOSE CASES. IN KENNY AND YOUNG BUCKS' CASE, THEY HAD THOSE TITLES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE COMPANY. UH CREATING SOME OF OUR PAY-PER-VIEW EVENTS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WE WORKED TOGETHER TO REALLY UH PUT THE ELITE IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING. AND A LOT OF THE IDEAS WE HAD FROM THE VERY BEGINNING TO LAUNCH THIS COMPANY UH CAME OFF THE BACK OF THE WORK THAT THE GUYS HAD DONE BEFORE AW STARTED. THEY BUILT A HUGE FAN BASE ALL OVER THE WORLD. UH RING OF HONOR IS A COMPANY WHERE THEY HAD WORKED NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING. THEY BUILT A LEGACY AND I KNEW THERE WOULD BE A HUGE AUDIENCE FOR PRO WRESTLING IF I BROUGHT THESE STARS IN. SO, THEY'RE VERY INVOLVED TODAY IN IN THE COMPANY IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS. UH, KENNY OMEGA HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN IN DIFFERENT DIGITAL PROJECTS FOR US, BUT ALSO VERY INVOLVED ON THE WRESTLING SIDE. AND THE YOUNG BUCKS TO THIS DAY UH ARE A HUGE PART OF THE WRESTLING SHOW. CHRIS JERICHO CAME BACK TO AEW AFTER BEING OFF THE SHOW FOR A WHILE, BUT CHRIS JERICHO IS ALWAYS A PART OF AW. WE WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THIS POSITION WITHOUT HIM. HE'S INSTRUMENTAL IN THE LAUNCH OF AW. SO, I WAS REALLY EXCITED FOR CHRIS TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO AEW IN HIS HOMETOWN WINNIPEG AND GET A GREAT REACTION AND AND HELP US GET UH I THINK SOME GOOD BUZZ FOR WHAT HAS BEEN REALLY STRONG VIEWERSHIP FOR US. OUR BIGGEST VIEWERSHIP IN A COUPLE YEARS, WHICH IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING IN PRO WRESTLING. WE'VE BEEN REALLY ENJOYING IT AND UM FOR ME I THINK HAVING A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE IN WRESTLING IS REALLY HELPFUL ESPECIALLY AT THE FORMATION OF THE COMPANY UH IN GETTING THE WRESTLING TV SHOW GOING.

>> YOU KNOW TONY I DON'T WANT TO HARP ON THIS QUESTION BUT BEING IN THE BUSINESS AS COACH AND I I GOT TO PUSH BACK ON SOMETHING BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE. OKAY TONY I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THIS. I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THIS REGARDLESS OF WHAT COMPANY I WORKED WITH. WHEN YOU HAVE A TALENT, WHETHER IT'S A CURRENT TALENT OR A FORMER TALENT IN MANAGEMENT, THERE'S GOING TO BE ISSUES BECAUSE WRESTLERS, YOU KNOW, LET'S FACE IT, TONY, AND LISTEN, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU GOT WRESTLERS ON THE CONTRACT, BUT A LOT OF WRESTLERS CAME UP AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. SO, WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT MAKES IT EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF. SO NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IF YOU'VE GOT A TALENT IN A MANAGEMENT POSITION LIKE THAT, HE MAY HAVE HEAT WITH OTHER TALENT. THERE MAY BE SOME OLD BAGGAGE THERE. MAN, TONY, I'M I'M SURE AT SOME POINT YOU HAD TO RUN INTO THAT.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, VINCE, I THINK IN EVERY WALK OF EXECUTIVE LIFE, THERE'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. AND ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, IN BUSINESS, UH, THERE'S ISSUES EVERY DAY. AND THAT'S WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT PRO WRESTLING. IT'S THE ONLY SPORT THAT GOES YEAR ROUND. UH VINCE, YOU KNOW THE WORKLOAD BETTER THAN ANYBODY OF WHAT IT TAKES TO DO THIS 52 WEEKS A YEAR TO PUT ON NEW SHOWS EVERY WEEK AND MULTIPLE SHOWS. AND FOR ME, I LIKE LEANING ON A LOT OF UH WRESTLING EXPERIENCE. BUT FOR ME, I ALSO AM REALLY COMFORTABLE NOW AFTER ALL THESE YEARS IN MY OWN IDEAS. AND I LIKE WORKING WITH PEOPLE. BUT, YOU KNOW, I FOUND A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS DOING THE IDEAS I BELIEVE IN. AND I'VE ALWAYS FOUND THE MORE INVOLVED IN UH THE MORE CONNECTED I AM WITH UH EVERY ASPECT OF THE SHOW, THE BETTER I FEEL ABOUT IT. AND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ON A VERY GOOD RUN OF SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN REALLY WELL-RECEIVED BY OUR FANS. AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, IN ANY WALK OF LIFE, THERE'S DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF ICE CREAM. THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC. DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIKE DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT I FEEL LIKE FOR THE AEW FANS, UH, WE'VE HAD A GREAT GROUP OF FANS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THE SHOW. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE NEW FANS ALONG THE WAY, BRING FANS BACK. YOU KNOW, AS AS YOU KNOW, SEVEN YEARS ON TELEVISION NOW, AS WE APPROACH THAT SEVEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, IT'S A LONG TIME. AND UH TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN A PART OF IT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THAT'S A SPECIAL THING CUZ IN SPORTS TO HAVE EXECUTIVES, COACHES, PLAYERS TO LAST SEVEN SEASONS ON A TEAM AND TO HAVE A GOOD CORE OF THEM, THAT'S A PRETTY SPECIAL THING. AND AND COACH, YOU WORKED IN SPORTS IN ADDITION TO WRESTLING. SO YOU SEE THIS FROM THE SPORTS SIDE, TOO. TO HAVE A TEAM THAT'S HAD LEADERSHIP AND TO HAVE UH IN MY CASE THE THE CEO AND PRESIDENT TO HAVE A LOT OF THE EXECUTIVES AND COACHES AND A LOT OF GREAT WRESTLERS THAT ARE STILL THRIVING AFTER SEVEN YEARS BUT ALSO HAVE A LOT OF NEW FRESH BLOOD THAT WE BROUGHT IN NEW FRESH FACES AND UH AN EXCITING COMPANY RIGHT NOW. THAT'S AN EXCITING THING AFTER SEVEN YEARS.

>> THERE'S NO DOUBT AND I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT BOTH OF THOSE THINGS UP BECAUSE I THINK YOU JUST SAID YOU LIKE TO DO THINGS FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE WHICH IS AWESOME AND I WILL GIVE YOU CREDIT THAT YOU WORK IN THE OFFICE OF JACKSONVILLE, YOUR DAD OWNS THAT AND THEN YOU STARTED A WRESTLING COMPANY. VERY VERY DIFFICULT TO DO BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID IT IT ALLOWS YOU TO BE PULLED VERY VERY THIN. A LOT OF FANS CUZ WE PULLED THEM AND SAID WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT TO KNOW FROM TONY KHAN? AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO KNOW IS WHEN WE'RE SEEING THESE MATCHES AND THESE DECISIONS AND ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON, DO YOU HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE AROUND YOU? ARE YOU SIGNING OFF ON ALL OF THESE DECISIONS? AND BECAUSE EVERY THE WRESTLING WE GREW UP IN, THERE WAS A WHOLE ROOM OF WRITERS BECAUSE IT'S VERY HARD TO BE AS CREATIVE AS ONE PERSON. WHAT IS YOUR SCENARIO OR SITUATION LIKE?

>> YEAH, I HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH ME UH IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS WHETHER IT'S UH HELPING PUT TOGETHER THE ANNOUNCING UH THAT YOU KNOW THE ON-CAMERA SEGMENTS, PUTTING TOGETHER BACKSTAGE SEGMENTS, BUT FOR ME I I TRY TO PUT TOGETHER AN OUTLINE OF WHAT I WANT EVERY WEEK FOR THE SPECIFIC SHOW SEGMENT BY SEGMENT AND I THINK IT'S GOOD WHEN I'M MORE INVOLVED IN IT. I I DEFINITELY SEE A CORRELATION AFTER SEVEN YEARS WHERE THE FANS CAN TELL AND WANT ME TO BE VERY ENGAGED AND ALSO A LOT OF IT IS MAKING SURE UH IT'S QUALITY CONTROL AND YOU KNOW IN ANY SPORT YOU KNOW THERE MIGHT BE A A PLAY THAT SOMEBODY WOULD BRING IN TO THE OFFICE THAT MIGHT NOT WORK FOR A CERTAIN REASON. THERE MIGHT BE AN IDEA GOING INTO A FREE AGENCY OR A DRAFT THAT THERE MIGHT NOT BE A TOTAL AGREEMENT ABOUT. AND I THINK HAVING UH A PROCESS WHERE I, YOU KNOW, AM ABLE TO BE INVOLVED OVER THE YEARS, THE MORE UH I LIKE TO CALL IT IN THE WEEDS AS THE FANS HAVE HAVE COME TO DESCRIBE IT. THE MORE I DO THAT, THE BETTER UH THE SHOW SEEMS TO BE RECEIVED. SO I TRY TO STAY INVOLVED AND AND THAT MIGHT MEAN UH YOU KNOW WHETHER IT'S TALKING TO DIFFERENT WRESTLERS ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS GOING INTO THE MATCHES, ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE MATCH, THAT'S ALL ASPECTS OF A WRESTLING SHOW. AND UH TO ME, EVERY ASPECT OF THE WRESTLING SHOW UNDER THE SUN, THE SHOWRUNNER BEING INVOLVED IN IT IS GOOD. VINCE, YOU'VE HAD TONS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING IN PRO WRESTLING IN IN DIFFERENT COMPANIES, DIFFERENT UH SHOWS. AND I'M SURE THAT YOU'VE HAD DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. SOME SHOWS THAT MAYBE YOU PUT TOGETHER UH ON YOUR OWN AND THEN CAME IN AND TALKED TO PEOPLE ABOUT AND SOME THAT YOU WROTE IN A ROOM WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE AND AND I IMAGINE THAT'S A DIFFERENT PROCESS FOR YOU, RIGHT? VERSUS HOW HOW YOU MIGHT DO ONE SHOW VERSUS ANOTHER SHOW.

>> WELL, I I MEAN, HONESTLY, I I HAD MY I I JUST HAD MY OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS AND I I KIND OF DID IT THAT WAY ALL THE TIME. BUT WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT. WE WE ALL DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. BUT TONY, LISTEN. I'M GOING TO WARN YOU FIRST. THIS IS A FORCE SEMAPHORE COMING RIGHT AT YOUR HEAD, TONY. THIS AIN'T A SOFTBALL. THIS CUZ THIS IS A BIG PET PEEVE OF MINE. TONY, YOU GOT TO HELP ME OUT WITH THIS ONE BECAUSE I HONESTLY BELIEVE OVERALL THIS HAS HURT THE WRESTLING BUSINESS TREMENDOUSLY. YOU BROUGHT UP SPORTS. OKAY. JAGUARS, TONY, I AM IN I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS FOR 55 YEARS. OKAY. I AM AN AVID FAN. I KNOW EVERY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TEAM. UM, I HAVE A ON A A WEBSITE PRESENCE. I'VE GOT 75,000, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWERS, ETC., ETC., ETC. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I AM A FAN. I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A LOCKER ROOM. I'VE NEVER INTERVIEWED PLAYERS. I'VE NEVER INTERVIEWED MANAGERS. I AM A FAN. AND I KNOW I AM A FAN. NOW, TONY, YOU TALK ABOUT THE JAGUARS. JAGUARS HAVE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES. WHO'S AT THOSE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES? PROFESSIONALS. WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ARE PEOPLE WITH CREDENTIALS, PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE, PEOPLE WITH A RESUME, PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND THE NFL FOREVER. NOT FANS. THESE GUYS ARE NOT FANS WALKING INTO A PRESS CONFERENCE. SO TONY, I KNOW YOU GOT IT FROM JAPAN, BUT YOU STARTED WITH THESE SCRUMS. AND I'M GOING TO BE AS BLUNT AS I CAN BE BECAUSE I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE SCRUMS, OKAY? BECAUSE TONY, WE LOVE WE LOVE THE HUGGING. WE LOVE WHEN WHEN PEOPLE COME IN AND YOU HUG THEM. WE GET A BIG KICK OUT OF THAT. SO WE WATCH THE SCRUMS. BUT TONY, HERE'S MY PROBLEM. WE GOT A LOT OF FANS IN THERE, TONY. A LOT OF FANS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE IN THERE ASKING YOU QUESTIONS AND THEIR TALENT QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY GOT A PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY GOT, YOU KNOW, A 100,000 FOLLOWERS, ETC., ETC., ETC. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE FANS. THEY'RE NOT PROFESSIONALS. THEY ACT LIKE FANS. MY PROBLEM WITH THIS IS I BELIEVE WE HAVE MADE THESE FANS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PART OF THE BUSINESS. TONY, THEY'RE NOT PART OF THE BUSINESS. ESPECIALLY WRESTLING. WRESTLING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CLOSED FRATERNITY AND IT'S BEEN VERY, VERY SPECIAL. WE HAVE LITERALLY LET FANS FEEL THEY ARE NOW A PART OF OUR BUSINESS. AND I REALLY FEEL THAT THAT HAS MADE THE WRESTLING BUSINESS LOSE MYSTIQUE. I HAVE I FEEL THAT HAS MADE THE WRESTLING BUSINESS LOSE CREDIBILITY. I FEEL THAT IT HAS DONE WAY MORE HARM THAN GOOD. AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE WWE STOPPED DOING THEM. THERE ARE OTHER REASONS, BUT I THINK THAT'S PART OF IT. BUT TONY, I I HAVE TO GET YOUR SPIN ON THAT BECAUSE I I JUST FEEL LIKE THE DOOR IS OPEN. HEY, ANYBODY? YOU GOT A WEBSITE, YOU GOT A 100,000 FOLLOWERS, YOU YOU GOT A PODCAST. YEAH, COME ON IN AND ASK MJF ANY QUESTION YOU WANT TO ASK HIM. THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYWHERE ELSE.

>> TONY, IT'S A VERY INTERESTING POINT YOU BRING UP, VINCE. BUT I THINK THAT FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING IN ONE JOB IN WRESTLING VERSUS ANOTHER JOB IN WRESTLING. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A WRESTLING FAN VERSUS WORKING IN THE WRESTLING INDUSTRY YEAR ROUND. BUT I DO THINK THAT THE LINES GET BLURRED. ABSOLUTELY. AND THE LINES HAVE BEEN BLURRED MORE THAN EVER. AND ABSOLUTELY, YOU MENTION PEOPLE WITH BIG FOLLOWINGS AND MEDIUM-SIZED FOLLOWINGS OR SMALL FOLLOWINGS AND PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. I THINK IT'S GOOD. ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE CONNECTED TO WRESTLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE, YOU KNOW.

>> BUT BUT TONY, LET ME LET ME JUMP IN. WHAT HE'S SAYING IS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A FAN COME IN, A FAN'S GOING TO ASK YOU IN PARTICULAR A QUESTION SO YOU DON'T GET UPSET WITH HIM OR YOU SO YOU ARE NICE TO THEM. AND I SPENT 11 YEARS AT ESPN. THAT'S NOT A REPORTER. A REPORTER IS ASKING TONY KHAN, "WHY DID YOU HAVE A A NEEDLE THROUGH A CHEEK TONIGHT?" AND GETTING A STRAIGHT ANSWER. THAT'S WHAT A REPORTER DOES.

>> I APPRECIATE THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND TO BE FAIR, THE OUTLETS THAT SOME OF THE LEGITIMATE JOURNALISTS IN WRESTLING WORK FOR AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WALK THE LINE, THAT'S ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS. THERE'S SHADES OF GRAY AMONG SOME OF THESE OUTLETS. THERE'S IT'S NOT UH ALL THE WORLDWIDE LEADERS IN JOURNALISM AND SPORTS JOURNALISM COMPETING FOR THESE SPOTS. I THINK WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME, COACH, AND VINCE, IS I GENERALLY HAVE SAID, "I'LL ANSWER EVERY QUESTION. I'LL STAY UNTIL EVERYBODY'S GOTTEN TO ASK SOMETHING AND I WANT TO HEAR EVERYONE'S QUESTIONS AND I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO HEAR WHAT EVERYONE THINKS AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THAT OBVIOUSLY FANS OF WRESTLING ARE GOING TO RECEIVE WRESTLING POSITIVELY BUT THOSE ARE ALSO A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO'VE CHOSEN TO COVER WRESTLING SO I THINK IT'S GOOD AND I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TO COVER WRESTLING AND SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS WHATEVER THEY MAY BE YOU KNOW AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON WRESTLING BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES IS IT GREAT? IS IT BRINGS SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD TOGETHER SO CONSISTENTLY EVERY WEEK, ALL YEAR, FOREVER?

>> BUT JOE, I I GOT TO ASK YOU THIS AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON, TONY. BUT I I HAVE SO TONY, ARE YOU SAYING IF I AM A FAN OF THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AND I GOT A JACKSONVILLE JAGUAR SITE AND I'VE GOT A 100,000 PEOPLE ON THAT SITE, ARE YOU GOING TO LET ME INTO THE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE?

>> I DO THINK VINCE THAT THE LINE TO COVER THE TEAM BETWEEN SOME OF THE FAN BLOGS AND SOME OF THE REPORTING THAT LINE IN ALL SPORTS IS CHANGING. YOU KNOW, YOU SEE HUGE FOLLOWINGS FOR SOME OF THESE UH FAN SITES AND FAN BLOGS. SO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S EXCLUSIVE TO WRESTLING WHERE YOU'RE SEEING PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME FROM BEING BIG FANS OF A TEAM OR A SPORT. THEY HAVE UH A PATREON OR THEY HAVE UH YOU KNOW WEBSITE OR A BLOG OR ALL THE ABOVE. THEY HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE THAT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER THE WORLD. THAT'S HAPPENING IN ENGLAND WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE. I THINK THERE'S UH ASPECTS OF THAT IN THE NFL. YOU SEE SOME OF THESE BIG FAN BLOGS WHERE THEY DO GET MORE AND MORE ACCESS TO THE TEAM. SO, I THINK IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING NUANCE POINT YOU'RE BRINGING UP, VINCE, BUT BUT COACH, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME OF THAT, TOO, WHERE THE YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FACES IN THE PRESS ROOM AND SPORTS CHANGED ALSO.

>> THEY CERTAINLY DID CHANGE THERE. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. AND I THINK BUT I AND I I I DO AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK IT HAS CHANGED OVER TIME, BUT I DO THINK THAT IT WOULD SERVE YOU BETTER AND IT WOULD SERVE THE WRESTLING BUSINESS BETTER IF WE HAD THE THE CHRIS VAN VLEETS IN THE ROOM THAT ARE GOING TO ASK THE QUESTIONS SHOULD NOT BE FLUFF. SOMETIMES THE FANS AND AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON TODAY IS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO HELP YOU AS A REALLY HARDCORE CEO TO NOT ALWAYS DANCE AROUND A QUESTION, BUT ANSWER IT DIRECTLY BECAUSE THAT CAN HELP YOU CUZ THAT'S WHO I LEARNED FROM. AND I THINK THAT TODAY IS A GOOD STEP FORWARD FOR YOU AND AND FOR US. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE JUST JOINING US RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE, WE'RE JOINED BY TONY KHAN, PRESIDENT CEO OF AEW. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT JERICHO FOR A SECOND BECAUSE HE WAS ON TV APRIL 9TH OF 2025 AND DID NOT HEAR FROM HIM AT ALL UNTIL LAST WEEK. AND SO THE RUMOR MILL WAS GOING ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. I WATCHED YOU ON ARIEL HAWAII. WE WERE ASKED ABOUT JERICHO AND YOU DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF TALKING ABOUT JERICHO OTHER THAN WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON. TELL US HOW CLOSE WAS HE TO GOING TO WWE AND WITH BRINGING HIM BACK, WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO YOU WANT HIS ROLE AT 55 YEARS OF AGE TO BE?

>> WELL, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED CHRIS TO BE A PART OF AW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT CHRIS IS A PART OF AW GOING FORWARD. HE ALWAYS WILL BE. AND I CAN'T SAY UH WITH ANY CERTAINTY. I DO KNOW CHRIS HAD A CHOICE AND HE WANTED TO BE IN AW. UM HE WOULD BE THE BEST PERSON TO ASK, BUT I KNOW THAT I'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH CHRIS AND UH HE DEFINITELY TOLD ME HE WANTED TO BE AT AW AND VERY SPECIFICALLY IN WINNIPEG ON THAT DATE. UH WE'VE HAD THAT CIRCLED FOR A LONG TIME GOING BACK TO LAST YEAR. AND IT WAS A CHOICE THAT CHRIS MADE THAT HE'D RATHER BE IN AW THAN WRESTLING ANYWHERE ELSE. AND I THINK THAT'S AWESOME. SO, UH, I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE, COACH, EXACTLY WHAT HIS MIND WAS AND WHERE HE WAS THINKING, BUT I KNOW THAT HE DEFINITELY ALWAYS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT THAT HE LOVES AW AND THAT HE WANTS TO BE HERE. AND, UH, I'M GLAD THAT HE CHOSE TO BE IN AW BECAUSE THAT'S A CHOICE HE MADE BECAUSE HE WAS A FREE AGENT.

>> THERE. THERE. AND THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD YOU SAY THAT AND THAT'S AWESOME. HE WAS A FREE AGENT. HE CHOSE TO STAY. FANTASTIC. SO, LET ME FOLLOW THAT UP WITH ANOTHER TALENT QUESTION BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD AND THE ONE THING THAT TAL I LOVE ABOUT YOU IS YOU PAY THEM. YOU PAY THEM ON TIME AND THEY'RE VERY, VERY HAPPY. THEY LOVE TONY KHAN. AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT IN A BOSS. YOU'VE HAD SOME GUYS OVER TIME THAT SIT OUT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY. AND THEN EVENTUALLY, LIKE A RICKY SAINT TALK AND SAY, "I'M HEALTHY. I WANT TO WORK." OR A BRITT BAKER WHO JUST WAS ON A RED CARPET. THEY SAY IT'S NOT MY CHOICE. I WANT TO WORK. WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS ON USING TALENT THAT MOST FANS WILL SAY, "I WANT TO SEE A RICKY SAINTS, BUT HE'S NOT BEING USED." WHAT GOES INTO THAT FOR YOU?

>> WELL, I I THINK AGAIN EACH WRESTLER IS A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS, BUT UH THE PEOPLE YOU NAMED I REALLY LIKE HAVING IN AW. UH AND IN BRIT'S CASE, SHE IS A PART OF AW. IN UH RICKY'S CASE, HE'S SOMEBODY THAT WRESTLED HERE IN THE PAST. I THINK WHEN YOU WHEN YOU GUYS INVITED ME TO COME ON, I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF WRESTLING. AND ONE THING YOU GUYS KNOW VERY WELL, VINCE, YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THIS FROM PUTTING ON UH LOTS OF WRESTLING SHOWS AND SHOWS ON TBS AND TNT. UH THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF HOURS. AND ONE THING THAT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD, I THINK, IS THERE'S BEEN A REAL FOCUS THAT THE FANS HAVE >> NOTICED IN AEW IN THE LAST YEAR AND UH THERE'S BEEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME, PEOPLE THAT HAVE GONE, BUT I THINK UH THE SHOWS HAVE HAD A REALLY GREAT FLOW. THERE'S BEEN TREMENDOUS, AS YOU GUYS MENTIONED, I THINK WE'VE HAD FANS THAT REALLY ENJOY OUR PAY-PER-VIEWS, BUT ALSO THE RECEPTION FOR OUR TV HAS BEEN REALLY STRONG, AND NOW THE VIEWERSHIP ON TBS AND TNT IS THE THE HIGHEST IT'S BEEN IN IN YEARS. AND A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE DOING THESE NUMBERS, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY VIEWERS ON HBO MAX. THAT WAS BEFORE WITH THE SIMO CATS. SO, I THINK WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION RIGHT NOW. UH THE WRESTLE EACH WRESTLER YOU'RE ASKING ME ABOUT IS ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. BUT I TRY TO MAKE A PLAN GOING INTO THE NEXT PAY-PER-VIEW, THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS OF TELEVISION. AND THE AND FRANKLY WITH THE HIGH IMPACT, HIGH VELOCITY ASPECTS OF PRO WRESTLING, THERE ARE CONSTANTLY INJURIES, REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT CHANGE THESE THINGS. AND I THINK FOR US, IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SEE WRESTLERS COME OR LEAVE A LOT OF TIMES IS DUE TO AN INJURY. AND THEN UH IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO WORK SOMEBODY BACK IN UH BECAUSE YOU GOT DIFFERENT THINGS GOING WITH DIFFERENT WRESTLERS. BUT I THINK IT'S BEEN GOOD FOR US WITH OUR TWO HOURS EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT ON TBS AND TWO HOURS EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT ON TNT. UH NOT TRYING TO TO JAM 36 MATCHES IN UH TWO HOURS AND TRY TO KEEP FOCUS ON WHAT WE GOT. AND OUR FANS REALLY LIKE THIS THE SHOW THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. UH, BUT ABSOLUTELY I'VE BEEN BRINGING BACK SOME FACES AND AND REALLY CONSISTENTLY HAVE PEOPLE THAT THAT KIND OF COME AND GO. THERE'S AN INJURY, YOU BRING SOMEBODY BACK. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. JUST IN RECENT WEEKS, WE'VE SEEN, YOU MENTIONED CHRIS JERICHO, LICARUSHIDA, UH, PRIVATE PARTY, AND THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE BECAUSE PRIVATE PARTY HAD SOME GREAT MATCHES UPON THEIR RETURN, AND THEN UH, MARK QUEN WE ANNOUNCED, HAD AN INJURY THIS PAST WEEK WHEN THEY WERE WRESTLING THE DEATH RIDERS. AND THAT THAT'S UNFORTUNATE. I REALLY LIKE ISAIAH AND MARK QUEN, BUT NOW ISAIAH WILL BE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT MARK QUEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AT LEAST. AND THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE RIGHT THERE. GUYS WHO I REALLY LIKE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME THAT WERE AWAY FOR A LONG TIME, CAME BACK AND WE HAVE AN INJURY THAT CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. EITHER SOMEBODY TO DO MORE ON THE SHOW THAT'S ALREADY BEEN ON THE SHOW OR SOMEBODY TO COME BACK THAT HASN'T BEEN ON OR MAYBE SOMEBODY NEW ALTOGETHER. YOU KNOW, I'VE SIGNED A LOT OF NEW WRESTLERS THIS YEAR, TOO.

>> AND I REALLY ENJOYED THAT PROCESS. I THINK WATCHING A LOT OF WRESTLING. VINCE, I LIKE YOUR SHOW. THAT'S ONE OF THE WRESTLING SHOWS I LIKE. >> THERE YOU GO. THERE'S GOOD YOUNG TALENT. THERE'S VETERANS OUT THERE. AND IT'S FUN TO WATCH IT.

>> SPEAKING OF UH MY SHOW, TONY, I WOULD LOVE I'M THROWING THIS OLIVE BRANCH OUT THERE. I WOULD LOVE TO BRING A MISS BRITT BAKER ON OUR SHOW. IF YOU GOT TOO MANY BODIES ON AEW, I WOULD LOVE TO BRING BRITT BAKER ON OUR SHOW AT JCW AND I WILL BRING HER ON TONY TO PROMOTE AEW. I WOULD PROMISE YOU TONY, WE'LL GET MORE EYEBALLS ON AEW. SO TONY, I'M THROWING THAT OUT THERE TO YOU AND I'M NOT GOING TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT TO ANSWER. BUT SPEAKING OF MORE EYEBALLS, TONY, I GOT TO ASK YOU, TONY.

>> AND BY THE WAY, I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE IN AW OR THERE'S NOT THAT. I REALLY THINK BRETT ADDS A LOT. >> IS THAT A NO. IS THAT A NO? >> IT'S A LIKE I SAID, EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT. BUT >> IS THAT A NO THAT BRETT BAKER CAN'T COME OVER? >> NO, IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT. YOU NEVER KNOW. AND I THINK YOU DO A GREAT JOB. I WENT HOW IS YOUR PROCESS, VINCE, NOW VERSUS IN YEARS PAST? BECAUSE YOU'VE WORKED FOR DIFFERENT COMPANIES AND DIFFERENT ERAS OF TV. IS IT SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE?

>> HAS NOT HAS NOT CHANGED. HAS NOT CHANGED AT ALL. DOES IT MATTER WHO I'M WORKING FOR? WHICH IS GOING TO LEAD TO MY NEXT QUESTION. OKAY. AND TONY, I AM I I'M I'M GIVING YOU THIS BASICALLY AS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW WORKED FOR ME A MILLIONFOLD. OKAY, TONY. I THINK A LOT OF BOOKERS RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM. I THINK YOU RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM. I THINK UH TRIPLE H RUNS INTO THIS PROBLEM. I SAW JEFF JARRETT RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM. I THINK WHEN YOU'RE IN A POSITION OF BOOKING, OKAY, YOU TEND TO WRITE A SHOW THAT YOU LIKE, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU, JUST YOU. I I'VE SEEN THIS A MILLION TIMES, TONY. TRIPLE TRIPLE H IS DOING THIS. TRIPLE H IS WRITING A SHOW THAT WHO THAT HE LIKES. I NEVER WROTE A SHOW FOR VINCE RUSSO BECAUSE TONY, QUITE FRANKLY, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I LIKE. WHAT MATTERS ARE THE MASSES. THAT'S WHAT MATTERS. AND THE NUMBERS TELL YOU WHAT THEY'RE WATCHING AND WHERE THEY'RE TURNING OFF THE CHANNEL. YOU'RE GIVING THAT INFORMATION EVERY SINGLE WEEK. SO, WHAT I'M THROWING AT YOU, TONY, IS THIS. AND AND IT IT IS WHAT IT IS. BUT THE VERY FIRST SHOW OF AEW, 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE TRIED IT OUT. BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE NEXT WEEK, THAT WASN'T EVERYBODY'S CUP OF TEA. AND THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S OKAY. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FOR IF YOU WOULD HAVE CAME BACK WITH 1.4 MILLION THE NEXT WEEK, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE. YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE PEOPLE. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE TRIED OUT THE PRODUCT. BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE NEXT WEEK, WE HAD ABOUT HALF. THAT JUST MEANS IT IT DOESN'T MEAN IT WAS BAD. IT MEANS IT WASN'T FOR THEM. SO, HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU, TONY. AND THIS IS WHAT I WOULD IF I'M TONY KHAN. THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING. BRO, YOU GOT A HARDCORE BUILT-IN AUDIENCE. AND THIS AUDIENCE WILL KILL FOR AEW. THEY WILL KILL. GOD FORBID YOU SAY SOMETHING NEGATIVE ABOUT AEW ONLINE. YOU MIGHT AS WELL SHUT YOUR COMPUTER OFF FOR A WEEK. AND TONY, THAT'S A UM THAT'S THAT'S ATTRIBUTED TO YOU. THE FREAKING LOYALTY IS INCREDIBLE. HOWEVER, TONY, THERE'S MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF CASUAL WRESTLING FANS OUT THERE, INCLUDING ME, THAT DO NOT SIT THERE AND WATCH WRESTLING ANYMORE EVERY WEEK. IT'S NOT THE CUP OF TEA THAT THEY LIKED OR GREW UP ON OR THE ATTITUDE ERA. IT'S DIFFERENT AS THE WRITER AND YOU JUST ASKED ME WHAT I'M DOING TODAY. HERE HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE WITH ME.

>> I WANT TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO WATCH THIS SHOW. WHETHER YOU ARE A HARDCORE FAN, WHETHER YOU'RE A CASUAL FAN, ENTERTAINMENT FAN, I WANT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO WATCH THIS SHOW. WITH THAT BEING SAID, TONY, HAVE HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS? DO YOU HAVE PLANS? DO YOU HAVE IDEAS OF HOW YOU MAY BE ABLE TO OPEN THIS UP TO THE MASSES WHO MAY NOT BE WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S A GREAT POINT, VINCE, AND I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE AGAIN, DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES. I LOVE WRESTLING AND I'VE PUT ON A WRESTLING SHOW THAT I THINK THE FANS OF AEW REALLY LIKE AND THERE MIGHT BE OTHER WRESTLING PROMOTIONS THAT HAVE EXISTED IN HISTORY, BUT LIKE YOU SAID, THE AEW FANS REALLY LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING. THE NETWORK IS THRILLED WITH THE VIEWERSHIP THAT WE PUT TOGETHER AND YOU MENTIONED BEING ON SINCE 2019. WELL, IF YOU LOOK BACK, WE STARTED IN OCTOBER 2019 AND YOU YOU MENTIONED UH YOU KNOW WHERE WE'RE AT NOW. I MEAN FROM THE SECOND MONTH OF THE SHOW THERE'S A VERY SIMILAR AUDIENCE WATCHING RIGHT NOW. SO FOR FOR OVER SIX AND A HALF YEARS IT'S GONE UP AT TIMES IT'S GONE DOWN BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S IN A STRONG PERIOD AND WE'VE BEEN MAINTAIN AND AT TIMES GROW THAT AUDIENCE.

>> YOU'VE GOT THOSE PEOPLE. YOU'VE GOT TONY. THEY'RE NOT GOING NOWHERE. YOU'VE GOT THOSE PEOPLE. IT WAS MY MENTALITY WHEN I WENT TO THE WWE. WE HAD THOSE PEOPLE. HOW DO WE GET THE PEOPLE NOT WATCHING THE SHOW? AND THAT'S WHEN THE ATTITUDE ERA WAS BORN AND YOU SAW NUMBERS GO THROUGH THE ROOF. THOSE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT WATCHING WRESTLING. THOSE PEOPLE YOU GOT NOW. GOD BLESS THEM. TONY, YOU GOT THEM. THEY AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE. HOW DO WE OPEN THIS UP TO TO CHALLENGE THE WWE? TONY, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. COME ON, TONY. WE'RE WE'RE BEHIND YOU, TONY. WHAT? WELL, WHAT ARE WE DOING, TONY? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU.

>> I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT GREAT FANS OF AW AND A GREAT FAN BASE. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR POINT, BUT I DO THINK THOSE FANS HOLD US TO A HIGH STANDARD. THEY WANT A GREAT SHOW. AND I PLAN TO DELIVER A STRONG SHOW EVERY WEDNESDAY AND EVERY SATURDAY. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR POINT. WE CONSTANTLY WANT TO GROW THE VIEWERSHIP. THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO COME TALK TO YOU. YOU INVITED ME ON THE SHOW. YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF FANS. A LOT OF THEM MIGHT NOT WATCH AEW, BUT TO YOUR POINT, VINCE, UH, I MAY HAVE A GREAT AUDIENCE. I DO HAVE A GREAT AUDIENCE, BUT IT'S GROWN IN RECENT MONTHS, AND IT'S PEOPLE COMING BACK. IT'S PEOPLE TRYING TO SHOW OUT. IT'S NEW FANS. I LIKE WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW. I LIKE WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW BETTER THAN A YEAR OR EVEN TWO YEARS AGO. AND I REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T GO BACKWARDS. YOU CAN'T GO BACK IN TIME. AND THAT'S A HUGE THING TO ME. IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK BACK AT HISTORY AND LEARN FROM IT. BUT WE ALL KNOW YOU CAN'T GO BACK AND THERE'S NO SECOND CHANCE TO DO THE EXACT SAME THING OVER AGAIN. ALL YOU CAN DO IS LEARN FROM IT. SO OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, I'VE TRIED TO LEARN. I'VE TRIED TO LEARN FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I'VE NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET YOU, VINCE, AND YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN WRESTLING. WE DEFINITELY ANYBODY WHO'S WATCHED THE SHOWS THAT WE WORK ON WOULD SAY THOSE GUYS HAVE TOTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACHES UH TO WRESTLING. AND THAT'S GREAT. WHEN I WATCH YOUR SHOW, I THINK, MAN, THERE'S SOME REALLY COOL STUFF IN HERE. IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM HOW AN AW SHOW WOULD BE, BUT THAT'S GOOD. I LIKE SEEING DIFFERENT APPROACHES. I THINK YOU DO SOME BRILLIANT THINGS. EVEN SOME OF THE TRANSITIONS FROM THE BACKSTAGE TO THE WRESTLING MATCHES, VIGNETTES, THERE'S SOME BRILLIANT THINGS AND AND THAT YOU'RE STILL DOING IT 30 YEARS LATER FROM WHEN YOU STARTED WORKING ON WRITING WRESTLING SHOWS. I THINK IT'S PHENOMENAL.

>> TONY, YOU DO KNOW YOU DO KNOW BY WHAT YOU JUST SAID. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING. UH BY WHAT YOU JUST SAID. UH DAVID MELTZER IS NEVER GOING TO TALK TO YOU EVER AGAIN. I JUST WANT TO BE AWARE FOR YOU VERY CLEAR FOR YOU TO COME ON HERE AND PUT MY WRITING OVER YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DAVID OVER. >> NO, YOU KNOW WHAT DAVE, EVERYBODY'S GOT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON WRESTLING, VINCE, ALL BOTH OF YOU MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN EACH OTHER AND YOUR PERSPECTIVES MAY BE MORE SIMILAR TO EACH OTHER THAN THEY ARE TO MINE. BUT TO THAT POINT, I SAW DAVE MELTZER AND HE AND I DISAGREE ON THIS. HE ASKED WHY I WOULD COME ON THE SHOW BECAUSE HE THINKS AT TIMES YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL. I CAN'T SAY I KNOW CHAPTER AND VERSE EVERYTHING YOU GUYS HAVE EVER SAID ABOUT AW, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE A NICE INVITATION TO COME ON THE SHOW AND I HAVE RESPECT FOR BOTH OF YOU AND YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A NICE THING WHEN I SAW YOU INVITED ME TO COME ON AND UH DAVE SAID, "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO COME ON THE SHOW WITH ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN CRITICAL OR AND IN HIS OPINION HE SAID SOME OF IT WASN'T IN GOOD FAITH." I DON'T KNOW THAT.

>> AND 10,000% AND >> SEEMS YEAH, WE'RE WE'RE JUST WE BUT THE THE THING THAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT US THAN EVERY OTHER SHOW IS WE ASK THE QUESTIONS ON ON HOW TO HELP YOU GROW THE SHOW. AND MELTZER'S JUST A REPORTER. WE'VE DONE THIS FOR WELL OVER 20 YEARS INSIDE THE BUSINESS, NOT REPORTING ON THE BUSINESS. SO, WE'VE SEEN IT AND WE'VE BEEN THERE FOR GOOD, FOR BAD, FOR GROWTH, FOR MILLIONS AND ALL OF THAT. SO, YOU JUST SAID A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANT TO HIT ON BECAUSE YOU SAID WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO GROW THE AUDIENCE. SO, LET'S START RIGHT THERE. AND THEN ALSO, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WWE IS DEALING WITH IS THE MISPRICING OF TICKETS AND THEY LITERALLY INSULTED THEMSELVES ON LAST NIGHT'S SHOW AND THEY TAGGED US BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SAYING IT, NOT CRITICIZING, THAT'S THE FACT AND THAT'S THE TRUTH. AND PAT MCAFEE TAGGED US BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SAYING THAT. SO, I ASK YOU THAT TO TO SAY THIS. YOU HAVE FAN-FRIENDLY PRICING. YOU HAVE SOME OF YOUR TALENT OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT FAN-FRIENDLY PRICING, BUT THEN YOU HAVE A PAY-PER-VIEW WHERE YOU HAVE SOMEBODY STICKING A NEEDLE THROUGH SOMEBODY'S FACE. AND IF YOU'RE GROWING THE AUDIENCE, TONY, AND IF THEY'RE COMING TO YOU DURING THE DAY AND SAYING, "WE'RE HAVING A TEXAS DEATH MATCH AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO THIS." I'M ALL FOR A HARDCORE MATCH HERE AND THERE, BUT YOU'RE AT A POINT RIGHT NOW THAT YOUR COMPANY HAS A CHANCE TO REALLY GROW. YOUR COMPANY, TONY, HAS A CHANCE TO GRAB SOME OF THOSE FANS FROM WWE. IS THAT THE SMARTEST PLAY WHEN YOU KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE TRYING YOU OUT? AND THE PROOF OF THAT IS AFTER REVOLUTION, YOU'VE HAD THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS OF MORE AND MORE AND MORE. SO, WHEN THEY COME TO YOU AND YOU DECIDE HOW THOSE HARDCORE THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN, WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH AND WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER TO THOSE TALENT?

>> IT AGAIN IS A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY SOME HARDCORE THINGS THAT I'VE SAID I DON'T THINK WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA, BUT IT'S USUALLY FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE I'VE RUN THINGS BY THE NETWORK, BUT COACH, THE EXAMPLE YOU JUST GAVE WAS A PAY-PER-VIEW. SO, I DO THINK THAT THE VIOLENCE AND UH THE EXCITEMENT, SOME OF THE HARDCORE STUFF ON A PAY-PER-VIEW, THAT CAN BE ANOTHER LEVEL OF HARDCORE VIOLENCE IN PRO WRESTLING. AND WHEN YOU WATCH A PAY-PER-VIEW, AND CERTAINLY TO THE POINT YOU JUST MADE, COACH, WE'VE HAD GREAT VIEWERSHIP SINCE AEW REVOLUTION. SO, I THINK THERE WAS A REALLY POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE REVOLUTION SHOW. UH, THERE MAY BE OUT OF A HUNDRED DIFFERENT WRESTLING MOVES AND THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON THE SHOW, THERE THERE COULD BE 95 YOU LIKED AND FIVE YOU DIDN'T. AND I THINK PEOPLE WOULD RESPOND MORE POSITIVELY THAN THE 95 THEY DID LIKE.

>> HEY, TONY, I'M GOING TO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX. >> OKAY. >> YOU'RE GETTING A MASTER'S CLASS TODAY, TONY. A MASTER'S CLASS. >> TONY. YEAH. TONY, LISTEN. I HAD A PHILOSOPHY. REMEMBER, YOU YOU YOU YOU'RE A HISTORIAN. YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON. NITRO WAS KICKING OUR ASS. MAKE NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. OKAY. HERE WAS MY PHILOSOPHY. WHEN YOUR NUMBER ONE NUMBER TWO DOES NOT EXIST, YOU DON'T BRING THEM UP. YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT THEM. PARDON MY FRENCH. THEY'RE A PIMPLE ON YOUR ASS. WHEN YOU'RE NUMBER TWO, YOU THROW THE KITCHEN SINK AT NUMBER ONE. WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS DX INVADING, YOU KNOW, WCW'S BUILDING AND, YOU KNOW, THE SHOTS FIRED AT, YOU KNOW, NITRO AND BISHOFF AND WCW AND SAY WHAT YOU WANT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT PAID OFF. YOU ARE IN A POSITION NOW TONY WHERE WWE MAN IS DOING A LOT OF DAMAGE CONTROL MAN THEY ARE REELING THERE IS A LOT OF NEGATIVE PRESS RIGHT NOW WITH WITH WITH TICKET PRICES CREATIVE SUCKS I'LL JUST SAY IT TONY THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVITY THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE TURNING AWAY FROM THE WWE HERE'S THE WINDOW STICK THE SCREWS IN, TONY. STICK THE SCREWS IN. USE THAT TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX, TONY. USE IT. DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE IT BECAUSE TONY, YOU'RE A HISTORIAN. IT FREAKING WORKED. IT WORKED. AND IT WOULD WORK AGAIN BECAUSE NOW IT'S EXACTLY WHAT COACH SAID. YOU MAY HAVE PEOPLE LEAVING THE WWE COMING TO AEW AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IF THE LITTLE GUY IS TAKING SOME SHOTS, I LIKE THIS. I LIKE TO TONY, WE STARTED TAKING SHOTS AT THE WWE BECAUSE HERE WAS MY MENTALITY. I WANTED PEOPLE TO SAY, "OH MY GOD, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE BALLS TO DO THAT." DO IT, TONY. DO IT.

>> SO, I CHANGED MY APPROACH, VINCE. AT THE BEGINNING OF AEW, THERE REALLY WAS A A REALLY COLLECTIVE REBEL SPIRIT AND NOW I THINK AW'S VERY ESTABLISHED AND PEOPLE KNOW AW'S GOT A REALLY QUALITY PRODUCT AND A LOT OF FANS AND WE'RE WE I DO WANT TO GROW THAT FAN BASE, VINCE, BUT THE WAY I WOULD DO SOMETHING NOW MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN HOW I WOULD HAVE DONE IT SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO. AND I ALSO THINK IT'S POSSIBLE THAT VINCE RUSSO AND VINCE MCMAHON AND DX COULD SUCCEED BY ZIGGING AT ONE POINT WHERE I MIGHT SUCCEED BY ZAGGING AT ANOTHER POINT. AND THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET TO SUCCESS. AND I'VE GOT MY IDEAS IN MY WAY, BUT I CAN LEARN FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AND I MIGHT NOT INCORPORATE EVERY ASPECT OF IT, BUT I DO WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS. I THINK IT'S INTERESTING. I DON'T DISAGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I THINK THE AW FANS WOULD ALSO AGREE. I'VE REFINED MY OWN MEDIA STRATEGY AND AND I THINK PEOPLE HAVE SEEN ME TRYING TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD. SOME OF IT IS THE FACT THAT LIKE YOU VINCE AND AGAIN WE HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES BUT I THINK WE'RE COMING FROM THE SAME PLACE ON THIS. LIKE YOU VINCE I BELIEVE IN TAKING THE HIGH ROAD WHEN POSSIBLE. SO WHEN DAVE MELTZER SAID WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GO ON THIS SHOW? I I SAID FIRST OF ALL I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD ANYTHING ANYBODY SAID AGAINST ABOUT AW AGAINST THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. THAT'S NOT WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS. THAT'S NOT WHAT JESUS WOULD DO. WE JUST CELEBRATED EASTER THIS PAST WEEKEND. AND SO WE HAVE DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES, BUT I FEEL LIKE BY TAKING THE HIGH ROAD, UH, THAT'S RUBBED PEOPLE THE RIGHT WAY. DIFFERENT PEOPLE COULD SAY DIFFERENT THINGS. THERE'S SOME THINGS, VINCE, THAT YOU OR SOME PEOPLE IN WRESTLING COULD SAY THAT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED DIFFERENT COMING FROM YOU THAN IF IT WAS ME SAYING IT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT ME, BUT I THINK LIKE I HAVE A DIFFERENT VOICE THAN YOU HAVE. SO, FOR ME, YOU KNOW, THIS IS GOOD. AND I'M NOT SAYING TRYING TO KILL EVERYBODY WITH KINDNESS, BUT BEING NICE TO PEOPLE HAS HAS GOTTEN ME A LONG WAY. AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IT MORE IN RECENT YEARS.

>> AND I AND I AND I THINK THAT'S I THINK THAT'S FINE. BUT YOU'RE ALSO IN THE WORLD OF PRO WRESTLING AND YOU CAN BE A NICE GUY AND ALL THAT. YOU MENTIONED TALKING TO MELTZER TWICE AND I ASKED YOU AT THE START OF THE INTERVIEW, WHO IS THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU THAT YOU LISTEN TO BECAUSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE TO COME UP WITH ALL OF THESE CREATIVE IDEAS BY YOURSELF. SO, ARE YOU ACTIVELY TALKING TO MELTZER? CUZ I KNOW YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT HIS RADIO SHOW. LIKE, DO YOU CALL DOES HE CALL YOU AND SAY, "HEY, WHY WOULD YOU GO ON THERE?" BECAUSE WE DON'T EVEN BRING HIM UP BECAUSE HE IS LIKE A PIMPLE ON OUR ASS AND I DON'T RESPECT WHAT HE HAS TO SAY.

>> WELL, YOU DID YOU DID BRING HIM UP. I THINK THAT'S HOW HIS NAME CAME UP. >> NO, NO, HE BROUGHT HIM UP. NOT ME. I'M SAYING ON

>> I BROUGHT HIM UP.

A on a normal show, we don't because he because he's part of the world of just throwing stuff against the wall, but he's never been backstage at a wrestling show. I respect.

He has been backstage at a wrestling show. I've seen Dave backstage maybe at yours and immediately kicked out. Tony, and again, there's, you know, there's different examples of different things. But I, I'm not saying that's the person in the office working on all the shows. You know, I used a good example of this earlier. I'm the only person that goes to every show and and is working on every show through the years. There's different people and Vince, you might appreciate this, not everybody is the the 24-hour, 7-day a week, 365 day a year wrestling engine. Some people want some time off between shows. That's not me. I'm going to be there every week, all the time. But I respect giving other people some time off between shows. Maybe only coming once a week instead of both shows every week, or or taking a couple weeks off with your family. That's okay.

Uh, you know, I use this not to reuse an analogy, but I I got asked a similar question to this and I had an answer that is uh answering with an example from a movie. And it's a scene in Ghostbusters, uh, when they're driving over the bridge and you see Ernie Hudson and Dan Akroyd in the car and and it's Ray and Winston when the car is driving on the bridge. Those were not the two Ghostbusters anybody was expecting to see in the car. We've never seen just those two together at any point, but that's how work goes. Like, it's two people. It's not just the same two people in the office every day. I have a lot of people in the office, but at the end of the day, there's really one person that uh has to kind of sit down and and make the decision which matches and segments go where. But I do like to hear lots of different ideas. Uh, you can only hear so many ideas in a week, in a day.

So, again, like Vince, I'm sure you have your own process. You've worked on hundreds and hundreds of wrestling shows and and it sounds like you have a pretty consistent process.

Well, Tony, I'm going to tell you this because I know because we, you, we, uh, we, we, we study you, Tony. We study you, Tony.

And and I do want to say this. You, I know your inspiration. You, you've brought that Ghostbuster reference up before.

I knew I know you are a a a time cop. Total mark. I, I know that. We've established that. Tony, can I play, can I, can I share something with you when I need to be inspired? Like you go, you watch Time Cop. Can I play for you what I play when I need to be inspired?

Please, I would love to know.

I, I need total silence. Tony, don't interrupt this. This is on my soundboard. This clip gets played, I'd say, at least once a day. Okay, here we go. Tony, this is what we envisioned in January. Okay.

Yes, sir.

It's happening here in September.

Love this.

GO ON. FOREVER.

FOREVER. TONY. FOREVER. TONY. WHAT ABOUT THE RESPECT TO FATHER SHAD? ONCE A WEEK I play that, Tony. What? That's got to be worth something.

It is. And what makes it even better to me is to know my dad was in the locker room and I don't even know that he understands he was doing Terry Funk. But my dad in the locker room and I thought that was so cool and I don't know if there was one other person there. I was there when he did it and that's what I was thinking is Dad's doing the Terry Funk and he's killing.

Yeah, no doubt about it. No doubt about it. Uh, Tony, thank you for only take a few more minutes, but there's a couple other topics I wanted to get into. Uh, and thank you again for the time. And I think one thing, you know, you bring up everybody has different experiences and I appreciate you not listening to the people around you. I think we've been not only very respectful, but asking you some some difficult questions because we want this business to grow. That's what we're all about. The reason we're growing so fast is people have found us because they know there's no fluff. They know that we get right to it. So, when you hear that from people because of the way you normally do some interviews, have you had media coaches or people like us around you that are honest with you? Because it's really hard when you're in a position like yourself to have people be honest with you because of the power you bring not only from the Jacksonville Jaguar side but being a billionaire owner of a of AEW. I've always wondered that.

I hope so and I believe so. You know, I'm trying my best and I, I do think I get good honest feedback on those things, but I, I also think I learn from experience. The more I've been around it, you know, I, I pick up things. It's interesting learning uh from other people too, other people who've worked in wrestling. You know, Vince, I thought you did a fantastic interview. I don't agree with every wrestling idea that you have and you don't agree with every wrestling idea I have, but that's okay. I think I had a perception of you that was different. And then I heard you on Steve Austin's podcast and I thought that was such a fantastic interview. I learned a lot from listening to it and I learned a lot about you and it gave me a different perspective on you. So then when I go out and do different podcasts of people I respect, obviously you and Steve knew each other very well. You had a rapport. It came off immediately. Uh, I don't know you guys, but I hope that I can make a new fan and hopefully get insights from you guys and people will want to see more AW because of this conversation.

Tony, do you know how I, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, coach. I before I forget this, Tony, do you know how I uh was first introduced to you? AEW is first starting and they're interviewing Tony Khan. Now, I don't know Tony Khan from Adam. I would I, I would, you know, I would suggest after this interview, we're pretty good friends. You know, we're best buds. I didn't know you from Adam. Tony, this is what you said. Tony, I did not know you. Vince Russo went into WCW and they had a hangnail. Vince proceeded to cut the entire arm off. Tony, that's

I'm sorry, Vince. I, I'm not sure that's, I'm not sure that's fair.

Tony. That's Tony years ago. Now, Tony, one coach, one thing. I got to ask him one question.

Now, by the way, Vince, now knowing more history and having seen a lot more, I don't think that was fair to you. And I'm sorry.

I'm joking, I'm joking, Tony. I'm joking, I'm joking.

We don't, we don't take anything personal here.

I'm joking. Tony, I got to ask you a question out of my morbid curiosity. Then I'm going to ask you a very serious question. Okay? So I'm going to throw a softball and then a fastball and then I'm going to give it to coach.

Tony. We study you. We love you. We love when you go out in front of the people at AEW and you do the you do the horse stomp. I pop freaking huge for that. And when you use going to promote a voice when when you lower the voice a couple, I pop huge for that. Here's the mystery we can't solve at these scrums, Tony. It's always like four cups. Like there isn't just one cup in front of you. No, there's like four. What's in the various cups?

Don't you got like in all cup? In all the cups. Four cups.

COPY. BLACK COFFEE. BLACK COFFEE.

Okay. Wow.

Here's a, here's a fastball. Here's a Tony come right at your head. Tony, listen. I swear to God, it is so cool. Listen, man. God bless you and Shad. You're a wealthy family. You have a lot of money with that your dream able to come true of owning a wrestling company, right? So obviously, bro, this is a dream. You always talk about booking when you were a kid and everything that God bless you. Good for you, bro. I wish I could own a baseball team. Like, it's phenomenal. So Tony, let's face it, you're going in this, bro. This is rainbows, unicorns. This is my dream. I can't wait to get this thing started. Then we have the CM Punk scrum. Tony, I got to tell you something. While you're sitting there and I'm watching you to me like my kneejerk was Tony Khan, welcome to the world of professional wrestling because you went in, you know, thinking this was going to be great. A million ideas. You've waited for this your entire life and then you're hit with the reality of the wrestling business. The question I want to ask you, cuz Tony, I'll never forget you sitting there and I felt so freaking bad. I'm like, this guy did not see this thing coming. You, you didn't know what to do. Like, it was so freaking awkward. But here's what I want to ask you. What did you learn from that particular moment in time? What did you take away from that time?

I came out of that wanting for AEW to succeed and for AEW to continue more than anything. and uh what we were able to do to to rebound from that. Obviously, I wanted in a perfect world everybody to be able to get together and work together. I don't think that would was possible. But I also think that we've been able in the past few years to really uh keep AW strong. To me, that was the most important thing. I learned uh a number of things. I, I probably would do things differently, say things differently, but like you said, it wasn't something I was expecting. Uh, you're very experienced in wrestling and you know that was a very much a welcome to wrestling in some aspects of it because that was for me. I'd been in wrestling for almost four years at that point but that was certainly a first for me and uh as with all firsts you're going to learn from them and uh and hope not to ever have a repeat.

Uh, Tony, I know we've kept you an hour. We're going to have to do a part two of this. I got just two very quick questions and then we'll let you out here because we know you're busy and hopefully you'll want to come back because we'd love to have you.

That'd be great.

All right. So, uh, on my SiriusXM show, uh, we had the reporter who uncovered back in '23 all of the different people who bid to buy WWE. And it came out that a company that you own bid about 6.9 billion, I believe, to buy the WWE. Why did you do that?

I was very interested in the process and I think that if it there was going to be a sale, I would at least want to have a chance to be involved. And if it had gone for any less than that, I would have really kicked myself.

Were you ever ever given a chance? Because we've seen a lot of the stories and who knows what to believe, but we were told and found out that it wasn't a bidding process, that it was a we're going to go over here process. Uh, is that how it played out for you? Were you given a chance to to outbid the others?

I, while respecting the the confidentiality of that uh, I would say I, I don't have any complaints about that process from my side right now that I, you know, I'd want to talk about right now. I do think there was some stuff uh to that and and uh while respecting the the confidentiality of the whole thing. Uh, I also would say that at the time that seemed like to me uh just reiterating, if it had gone for any less, I would have really beat myself up like why do, why wouldn't you put in a bid if it was, you know, I thought that was a very reasonable number that I put in.

Well, it was, cuz it was in the six to 7 billion. You, you, you bid market value. That's true. Uh, the last.

I mean, that's what's been written. And again, that's not for me. But uh, but now based on the information that's out there, I've gone out of my way to be respectful. Uh, you know, I, again, going back to taking the high road. That's not something I've really talked about or gone out and and tried to act big league or talk big league about. You know, I've really tried to focus on the wrestling show. And that was several years ago. And and thankfully those have been really good years for AW.

Well, we do homework here and we like to come in and be prepared and I think you've seen that we are very prepared today. The last one is and and I think some of the feedback you've got about us being critical is we say we, we are critical of things here on the show, but the one thing we do that nobody else does is we give a solution. We say here's what we think of the problem and then Vince says as you've seen today, here's what I would do. Here's what. And so to me, if you don't want to do it, I feel and Vince usually agrees with me that you could use a powerful authoritative voice in your show because a lot of times your guys will fight fight fight make a match and it's made without so much or maybe the announcer say, hey, we confirmed with Tony Khan at the commercial break. You met with Shane McMahon. There are pictures of you meeting with Shane McMahon. Was that ever close? And have you ever thought about if you don't want to be that character of bringing one in?

Well, first of all, so we've been on so long that I have run the battery so much now that I'm going to uh do a little set change here and plug in. So, if you can give me one second, I'm actually going to plug in uh into the outlet here and uh keep this thing going because I don't want to rush off. So, just.

No, man. This is awesome. No, this is No, we love the time and thank you. No, it's my pleasure, guys. It's really my pleasure. Uh, so, uh, I've enjoyed it a lot, too. And, uh, so here I'm moving, uh, uh, closer to the.

There we go. We got you again.

But this is good. Um, so you know, I, uh, in all seriousness, uh, Okay. So, first of all, can you.

We see you. We hear you perfectly. You're good.

Okay, good. I just want to make sure you can hear me and see me. Great. Um.

I think that's a fair point. Now, you could argue who would be the right person for that. Uh, I do think that the mechanic of matchmaking, for example, in the NFL, when I watch NFL football, and I have a ton of respect for him, he would be the first person to say that's not the reason people are watching the games is to see Commissioner Roger Goodell. He's a huge part of the game. He's important to the function of the game. He's instrumental to what we do with the NFL. But uh, it's not like every time I watch NFL and NFL is the most watched show in the country, 90 or more out of the top 100 programs are NFL football. And for me, uh, again, the commissioner is a huge part of the game, but the commissioner of a sport doesn't necessarily need to be all over the show. So, you know, when people talk AEW, I think people generally kind of know that I'm the the commissioner of AW, but I also don't think that that's necessarily a role that you want to see on TV. Now, Vince, your perspective on this might have changed because when you started doing the writing in WCW originally, I don't think you intended to be a character in the show and you were a a device in the show, but did your perception, did your ideas change about why you would or wouldn't want to do that?

Yeah, I first of all, I wouldn't recommend it if you work on the show. If you work on if you need to just be a character because being a character on the show, it's going to take away from the your other responsibilities of the show. That's why I never enjoy doing that.

Tony, that makes sense. That makes good sense.

Yeah. Um, well, I, you know, for me, uh, I think that's really good advice and and for me, I haven't had to deal with it much other than, you know, if there's a big announcement like we're going to Wembley Stadium, something where it's really worthwhile that I think I want to be a big part of it or there's a good reason why I should be in there. Like when we announced uh, AW All in London, which is coming back this year, going back to London Wembley Stadium, where we set the world record, we sold 81,000 tickets.

Oh, you guys are doing it. You guys are doing it. in those big stadiums for sure. Uh, cuz I know I know we're low on time. So the the other part of that was Shane McMahon. How close did that come? Is that any anything you would want to do in the future?

I had one really pleasant conversation with Shane. Shane reached out to me and said, "I'd love to get together." And where are you going to be? And uh I was going to be in Dallas. We were doing a bunch of shows around Arlington, Texas. And I had said to Shane like, "Yeah, that's where I'm going to be. I can uh meet you here." And we had a nice conversation. We talked for a few hours in the airport. I thought it was really strange that a photo came out from it. I thought it was pretty unusual. It could just be somebody that worked at the airport, but I know I had nothing to do with it. Uh, it's very unusual. I talk to people all the time uh from all different media places. Now, Shane's a very recognizable face in sports and and especially in the world of wrestling where almost any wrestling fan is going to recognize him. So, that could be what it is. Somebody recognized that we were in a room and wanted to take a photo. I'm in a lot of rooms with a lot of people. I only had that happen to me one time. So, I thought that was pretty unusual uh that the photo you could see in the photo. I'm very surprised when the person walked into the room. Yeah.

Uh, and I noticed he wasn't as surprised in the photo as I was.

So, maybe there was something there. Yeah. Uh, but um, you know, I've only had the one really nice talk with him. I thought that was interesting. and and uh I also thought it was quite impressive that in one conversation somehow it got out that I had talked to him. Uh, but that was really it. But he was, it was a very pleasant chat and he seemed like a really interesting guy. Um, you know um, I don't think the role of being like an on-screen person in a wrestling show seemed like particularly the thing he was interested in. But you know, he had a lot of interesting things and experiences that are totally different than mine. But I don't particularly think he went into it thinking I want to be a character on this guy's show.

Yeah, I, I dealt with him with a different company, so I know exactly what you're not saying, but I, I agree with you 10,000%. He's looking for ownership. He's looking for to be on your level cuz he, I dealt with that with a different company that I just worked with. So, I know exactly what you're talking about. I want I want to show you a couple of of good things because I think you need to hear some really positive about you. Before I do that, Vince, are you good? You have anything else?

Can I just say one thing to Tony?

Sure. Absolutely.

Tony, I love the fact on this show um you pointing out your Christianity. I also love the fact of you pointing out the high road. Tony, listen. I don't know you from Adam. This is the first time we have had a conversation. If you really listen to Russo Brand, you would have heard me say a million times, this is a good guy. You, you might not agree with his wrestling philosophy. This is a good guy and a good human being. With that being said, Tony, I just want to tell you, you got the competition rocking and reeling. I'm not telling you to take the low road. That's not what I'm telling you. There are creative ways to take advantage of that. That's what I'm passing along to you. Because Tony, listen, I, you own the Jaguars. You own a soccer team. When your opponent is vulnerable, what do you do, man? You go for the deep. You go deep. They're vulnerable, Tony. And what I'm telling you is, I would never say, "Yeah, Tony, go in the dirt and take the low road." I'm telling you, there are creative ways now where you can start winning over some of their fans. And I just hope you're open to thinking about those those ways.

Well, I know that a lot of those fans have a lot of respect for you, Vince, and you did some great things there. A lot of great things at a very instrumental time. So, I hope uh that by coming here and having this great interaction with you that I've rubbed some of those people the right way, too.

Oh, you definitely have. And I can tell you this, two, two things we're going to get out of here. Uh, this is the the by far the highest live audience we've ever had. And in the chat, there's so many great remarks about you and I just want to throw up a few and read them to you so you can hear them. Tony, uh, smartest Mark Alive. He's a guy, Tony, that started his podcast because of our podcast. And he says this, Tony, thank you for giving us wrestling fans another outlet with pro wrestling as the focus and not corporate greed. AW has helped me in some of the lowest points in my life, providing an outlet of happiness and an escape to the stress of life. That's pretty cool, isn't it?

That's really great to hear. Uh, well, thank you, Smartest Mark Alive. I really appreciate that. I'm really glad that AEW's been able to help you and and like you, Smartest Smark Alive, I love pro wrestling and and this is what I'm talking about, guys. You know, uh, this is somebody that has had great experiences with wrestling. It makes him feel better and it's there for you every week. It's the one thing pro wrestling that will always be there for you every week. There's no offseason. We don't take a break from it and you can always count on it. So, uh, I really appreciate when we hear that and that's one of the reasons why I love doing wrestling every week.

All right. Well, we got to, we've got, we're just rolling through them right now as you're talking all these great messages to you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Tony Khan had bought the WWE. At least he cares about the wrestlers and the fans. That's a fact. I think Tony, as we wrap this up, I said at the beginning, we wanted people to understand we don't dislike AEW. We love wrestling. And maybe there's a misconception, a little bit of you. And I think that we've done both of those things today. So, thank you for the time. And you are welcome to come back and have another conversation. We'd love to do it again.

I appreciate the invitation. I would love to come back. It's been really nice visiting with both of you. I've very much enjoyed it. and thanks for having me on and I'm I'm sure I'll see you both again soon. I want to wish you both good luck. I hope you both had a great Easter and uh I hope I get to see you both again soon.

I hope so too. Thank you.

Appreciate it. Thanks, guys.

That is one and only AEW president and CEO Tony Khan. Uh, and as I told you, I appreciate all the super stickers. We, we're not going to go through all them right now. I appreciate them. We do. But we have to get to something. But Vince, I want to get your reaction to I mean, he gave us a lot of time. Hour and 10 minutes.

F first things first.

Yeah.

You know, I, I, you people listening to the show now, we got a big collective audience, okay? Uh, several times during the week, I get uh mostly text messages uh from coach and I get scolded uh over multiple things and I always walk away with my tail between my legs. You're right. You're right. It won't happen again. You're right. You're right. This goes on all week long. So, I, I'm given a format today with questions because coach don't trust Vinnie Rue. So, coaches, okay, Vince, here it is. Vince, this is the format. VINCE, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE gonna do. I JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS I'M FOLLOWING THIS FORMAT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT LITERALLY FIVE MINUTES INTO THIS FORMAT I, I'M LOOKING AT THIS I'M LIKE WAIT A MINUTE THIS AIN'T ON THE FORMAT COACH WAIT I, I'M I'M LOOKING THROUGH SO DON'T EVER EVER SEND ME A FORMAT AGAIN IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO INTO IS OKAY. NO, NO, NO. TWO, TWO THINGS. TWO, two things. First and foremost, I'm a trained interviewer. I know that.

I literally took I took classes doing.

I know that.

All right. So, I'm and I learned that number one most important thing is listening. And sometimes you pivot your questions. That's number one. Number two, that rundown was for you. IT WAS NOT FOR ME.

YOU GOT VID'S COACH. VIDS COACH, I KNOW I'M GOING BY THIS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE ON QUESTION NINE.

Because I wanted to make sure and keep you.

WAS I GOOD? WAS I good, Cole? Was I glad you I Let me say this because we have over 5,000 people watching live right now.

God, that's like over 5,000. So, here here's here's where you were great is that I think.

My my takeaway is Tony is is every bit as nice as people say that he is. I think that we got more out of him than anybody else ever has. And I think that with you giving your experience before the questions that made him think a little bit and I think he's going to go back and he's going to use some of your advice. So for that, I thought you were awesome. I thought you were awesome.

I thought uh and listen, Tony and his PR guy may still be listening and that's okay. I was a I'm gonna be honest with you, coach. I was a little concerned at the beginning because I think at the beginning we started getting.

You know the.

I tried to jump in there. Yeah.

The Tony Khan answer interview. But I really and this is why coach I mean honestly this is going to be Vince was kissing Tony Khan's ass. No. What Vince was trying to do was use humor to lighten Tony up. Tony like and and and coach I think if you look at the beginning of that interview by the time we got to the end we're having a conversation with the guy and.

100% and that's why I kept going to these little different things to kind of get him out of cuz you you got to be coach let's call it what it is.

He's probably done thousands of interviews with that resp he's got the set response he does he does he's so used to doing that. And listen, this ain't a Tony Khan thing. This is anybody who goes through the media and has a thousand interviews after a while, bro. I got two interviews after this, coach. I know what they're going to ask me and I know how I'm going to answer. But I think we will get now is a little concerned. And that's why I'm like, we got to we got to loosen this guy up a little bit. And I, I think he was great. I mean, coach, even when you said we, we never heard that much about the meeting with Shane McMahon before.

Not at all. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S EVER ASKED HIM about his bid for the D. I don't know if anybody's ever asked him that.

Right. Well, by by that point, he respected us. I'm seeing the chat and the chat agrees with us. Uh, producer man, throw a few of those up real quick. Uh, because the chat agrees that we got more out of you got, which is rare. It's and that's the thing about that you guys need to understand in interviewing that if a person feels comfortable but also you have a respect and he clearly respected us from what we've done in the business and I'm not shading anybody else Vince but when you just have a regular person asking him questions he's going to come and go he's going to come and go and never think about that show or that person again and I think with us he started going wait a second not only are these guys not what Meltzer said and by the way. I take pride in that. I take pride in that. Why would you go on their show? How about having a show that people want to go on instead of sitting in front of a gray wall? But whatever. And I think he realized, wait a second, these guys aren't coming at me, but they're also not giving me fluff. We didn't give him fluff. We asked direct questions that people want to know.

Yep.

That's it. That's it. So, all right. We've got to end it. I apologize. Normally, we read all the super stickers. Uh, but I told you before.

WAIT A MINUTE, COACH. WE'RE NOT DONE WITH YOUR FORMAT. HOLD ON. WE GOT HOLD ON. WE GOT I GOT MORE THINGS, COACH.

I told people we weren't taking super stickers today. So, I got to go pick up my son. He's at school. I got to get him. He's got a big match today. Vince, this was awesome.

Awesome. Coach, thank you. It was fun. It was fun. It was awesome. It was great. And thank you guys. Amazing turnout, coach.

Amazing. Amazing. We need a part two. We We'll make it happen in six months or so. We'll make it happen. And also, if you guys missed any of it, if you came in a little bit late, you'll be able to watch it on demand. Also, a week from Thursday, we're gonna have our show on Stadium, and the numbers there have been skyrocketing for this show. So, we're going to cut up the interview and make the entire hour the Tony Khan, the best of Tony Con a week from Thursday. A week from And I just got a I just got a text from a buddy of mine. He goes, "That was awesome. Watch the whole thing." So, pretty cool. Pretty cool. Um, all right, Vince, enjoy those two boring ass interviews you're getting ready to go do.

Thank you, folks. Thank you guys. Thank everybody, you know, on the bottom of my screen. You guys are the absolute best, man. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Absolutely. That's going to do it for us, for my man Vinnie Ruru, for Dirt Sheet Dan, for Mikey P, for producer man. Uh, this is why we started the brand, so we can get really good content out there to hopefully take this business forward. just a little bit. We're going to be back Thursday morning. Until then, enjoy your pro wrestling. Enjoy NXT tonight. Hell, enjoy AEW Dynamite tomorrow and Dynasty coming up on Sunday. That's going to do it for now. There is only one and we call it the Coach and Bro Show. Take care.