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00:00:00Dziękuję.

00:00:30Dziękuję.

00:01:00Dziękuję.

00:01:30Dziękuję.

00:02:00Dziękuję.

00:02:36Dziękuję.

00:03:24Dziękuję.

00:03:50Dziękuję.

00:04:00Dziękuję.

00:04:25Oh, and you've been waiting for this one, haven't you?

00:04:29You've been waiting for this one.

00:04:31What's good, everybody?

00:04:32Welcome into a very special live episode of the Coach and Bro Show.

00:04:36Of course, I am the coach.

00:04:37And we told you a couple of weeks ago, and we've been talking about it for months.

00:04:42But before I even get into it, I got to bring in my partner because he helps set this whole

00:04:46thing up.

00:04:47The greatest writer in the history of pro wrestling, of course, the one and only Vince Russo.

00:04:53And Vince, I kind of want to set the tone before we bring Tony in about what we're trying to

00:04:57accomplish today.

00:04:59Because I think this is going to be great for both of us.

00:05:02Because there's misconceptions out there that we don't like AEW.

00:05:06Could not be farther from the truth.

00:05:08Or that sometimes in interviews, Tony doesn't answer the questions directly.

00:05:13And we're going to just have conversations.

00:05:15Like, grown-ass men, what are you looking forward to?

00:05:17Yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking forward to.

00:05:22Because when I look at the AEW product and when I look at Tony, I have a lot of questions

00:05:27I don't know the answers to.

00:05:29Yep.

00:05:29And that's why I've always wanted to, you know, anything this day to come.

00:05:34I'd love to have a conversation with Tony.

00:05:37Because, Coach, I've said this.

00:05:39We're going to learn things from this interview.

00:05:42And I hope Tony does as well.

00:05:44And, Coach, I want to say this, too.

00:05:46Man, I give him all the credit in the world for coming on here.

00:05:48There are people in this business who have dodged me for over two decades.

00:05:52And the fact that Tony is coming on this show really does say a lot about his character.

00:05:58So I want to put that over to begin with.

00:06:01No doubt.

00:06:01We want to put over their big pay-per-view this Sunday.

00:06:04It's Dynasty.

00:06:04It's in Vancouver at the Rogers Center.

00:06:07The big main event.

00:06:07Kitty Omega and MJF live on pay-per-view 8 Eastern.

00:06:11The Zero Hour at 7 p.m.

00:06:13It's going to be a really, really – and they're known for their pay-per-views now.

00:06:16So we've got a ton of topics to talk to them about.

00:06:18So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, and hopefully not the last,

00:06:25the AEW CEO and President, the one and only, Mr. Tony Khan.

00:06:31How are you, sir?

00:06:32I'm very well.

00:06:33Thank you guys for having me on your show.

00:06:34I really appreciate the invitation.

00:06:36Absolutely.

00:06:37Take your eyes to the right just a little bit and look back – there.

00:06:40You got me now?

00:06:40I see you guys.

00:06:41Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect.

00:06:43All right.

00:06:43So we're going to get started.

00:06:44Tony, you just heard my preamble, and this is not a gotcha interview.

00:06:47We're so excited to just get to know you and kind of take the handcuffs off and for the audience

00:06:53to get to know you as well.

00:06:55Is that cool?

00:06:55Yeah, it sounds great.

00:06:56I really appreciate the opportunity.

00:06:59I thank you guys for having me on, and I'm excited to talk with you.

00:07:03Thanks for talking about wrestling with me.

00:07:05And you both certainly have tons of great experience, and like you said, I'm excited to learn from you guys

00:07:11and hear what you think.

00:07:13Awesome.

00:07:13Go ahead, Mr. Russo.

00:07:15Kick us off.

00:07:16Yeah.

00:07:16You know, Tony, I was thinking of the first question that can kind of really open up the interview, and

00:07:22I really believe this is it.

00:07:24Obviously, when you started AEW, you had goals.

00:07:30Obviously, you have goals today.

00:07:32I would love to know what were the original goals when you opened the company, and what are those goals

00:07:41in 2026?

00:07:42Thank you, Vince.

00:07:44I really appreciate you asking.

00:07:45I wanted to launch a wrestling promotion for all the fans who wanted to see wrestling at that time brought

00:07:52back to TNT and TBS.

00:07:54You know all too well, Vince, wrestling on TNT and TBS is an American staple, and I also believe there

00:08:00was a huge international audience.

00:08:02I've spent a lot of my time living and working in England, living in London, and spending time around England

00:08:08traveling for football, and I know there's a great wrestling audience there.

00:08:12So at the very beginning when we launched, we had these great media partners, TBS, TNT, and ITV, and all

00:08:20of them have a great history of wrestling.

00:08:22And from the beginning, working with these companies, my goal is to keep the company running strong and producing shows

00:08:29that the fans like, and that's why I'm really happy that we've been able to have AEW grow, expand, add

00:08:36more TV, and more media partners all over the world.

00:08:39So, Tony, I want to help you out because I want you to connect with the audience.

00:08:43Can you bring your eyes down because you're looking off the camera?

00:08:45No, to your right.

00:08:47Look, there you go.

00:08:48Right there.

00:08:48That's right at us.

00:08:49Perfect.

00:08:50Perfect.

00:08:51So one of the things, though, that I learned and we learned in wrestling is that the boys are the

00:08:56boys and the executives are the executives.

00:08:59You chose early on to have the boys be EVPs.

00:09:03How did that, or how has that gone, and have you changed your mindset on having the likes of Kenny

00:09:10Omega, a Young Bucks, a Chris Jericho be a part of that executive tree?

00:09:14Well, I'm really excited if you ask.

00:09:16We've got wrestlers that have been with us from the very beginning, and we've got staff that have been with

00:09:21us from the very beginning, and some people who represent both the wrestling side and the office side.

00:09:26Those are all great people.

00:09:28You know, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks have been executive vice presidents here since day one.

00:09:32We were really excited to announce their launch, and without the Chris Jericho versus Kenny Omega match in the Tokyo

00:09:40Dome in 2018, I'm not sure I would have believed that the economy and the possibilities were there.

00:09:47But when I saw how much really Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega were able to grow the international business with

00:09:54really, in some ways, I thought one hand tied behind their back and have so much interest in audience for

00:10:00what they were doing in 2018 in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a company that you guys are very familiar with.

00:10:05For me, I love working with different sports, but for me, wrestling's always been my favorite thing.

00:10:12So having those guys involved, you mentioned Kenny Omega, Young Bucks as EVPs, Chris Jericho here from the very beginning,

00:10:19they're all instrumental in the creation of AEW.

00:10:22I wouldn't be here without those guys, and they're important to us today.

00:10:25But I want you to get specific for me, because a lot of fans want to know, you kind of

00:10:30broad strokes, but what do they actually do when it comes to executive work outside of their talent work?

00:10:35Well, you know, it's different in those cases.

00:10:39In Kenny and the Young Bucks case, they had those titles from the very beginning, and they've been very involved

00:10:44in different aspects of the company, creating some of our pay-per-view events from the very beginning.

00:10:49We worked together to really put the elite in all elite wrestling, and a lot of the ideas we had

00:10:56from the very beginning to launch this company came off the back of the work that the guys had done

00:11:01before AEW started.

00:11:03They built a huge fan base all over the world.

00:11:06Ring of Honor is a company where they had worked New Japan Pro Wrestling.

00:11:10They built a legacy, and I knew there would be a huge audience for pro wrestling if I brought these

00:11:15stars in.

00:11:16So they're very involved today in the company in different aspects.

00:11:20Kenny Omega has been involved in different digital projects for us, but also very involved on the wrestling side.

00:11:26And the Young Bucks, to this day, are a huge part of the wrestling show.

00:11:30Chris Jericho came back to AEW after being off the show for a while, but Chris Jericho is always a

00:11:36part of the AEW.

00:11:37We would not have gotten into this position without him.

00:11:40He's instrumental in the launch of AEW.

00:11:42So I was really excited for Chris to be able to return to AEW in his hometown, Winnipeg, and get

00:11:48a great reaction and help us get, I think, some good buzz for what has been really strong viewership for

00:11:54us.

00:11:54Our biggest viewership in a couple years, which is always a good thing in pro wrestling.

00:11:58We've been really enjoying it.

00:12:00And for me, I think having a lot of people with experience in wrestling is really helpful, especially at the

00:12:08formation of the company in getting the wrestling TV show going.

00:12:14You know, Tony, I don't want to harp on this question, but being in the business as coach and I,

00:12:21I got to push back on something based on my experience.

00:12:25Tony, I have always said this, regardless of what company I worked with, when you have a talent, whether it's

00:12:33a current talent or a former talent in management, there's going to be issues.

00:12:39Because wrestlers, you know, let's face it, Tony, and listen, it's a little different with you because you got wrestlers

00:12:44on the contract, but a lot of wrestlers came up as independent contractors.

00:12:49So what happens is that makes it every man for himself.

00:12:53So now, all of a sudden, if you've got a talent in a management position like that, he may have

00:13:01heat with other talent.

00:13:03There may be some old baggage there.

00:13:05Man, Tony, I'm sure at some point you had to run into that.

00:13:10Well, you know, Vince, I think in every walk of executive life, there's going to be different people and different

00:13:16backgrounds.

00:13:17And always, you know, in business, there's issues every day.

00:13:22And that's what's great about pro wrestling.

00:13:25It's the only sport that goes year round.

00:13:27Vince, you know the workload better than anybody of what it takes to do this 52 weeks a year to

00:13:32put on new shows every week and multiple shows.

00:13:35And for me, I like leaning on a lot of wrestling experience.

00:13:40But for me, I also am really comfortable now after all these years in my own ideas.

00:13:46And I like working with people.

00:13:47But, you know, I found a good rule of thumb is doing the ideas I believe in.

00:13:51And I've always found the more involved and the more connected I am with every aspect of the show, the

00:13:58better I feel about it.

00:13:59And right now, we're on a very good run of shows that have been really well received by our fans.

00:14:04And I think that's important.

00:14:06You know, in any walk of life, there's different flavors of ice cream.

00:14:10There's different types of music.

00:14:12Different people like different things.

00:14:13But I feel like for the AEW fans, we've had a great group of fans that have supported the show.

00:14:20We've been able to make new fans along the way, bring fans back.

00:14:24You know, as you know, seven years on television now, as we approach that seven-year anniversary, it's a long

00:14:30time.

00:14:31And to have people that have been a part of it from the very beginning, that's a special thing.

00:14:36Because in sports, to have executives, coaches, players, to last seven seasons on a team and to have a good

00:14:43core of them, that's a pretty special thing.

00:14:46And Coach, you work in sports in addition to wrestling.

00:14:50So you see this from the sports side, too.

00:14:53To have a team that's had leadership and to have, in my case, the CEO and president, to have a

00:15:00lot of the executives and coaches and a lot of great wrestlers that are still thriving after seven years, but

00:15:05also have a lot of new, fresh blood that we brought in, new, fresh faces.

00:15:09And an exciting company right now.

00:15:12That's an exciting thing after seven years.

00:15:14There's no doubt, and I'm so glad you brought both of those things up.

00:15:17Because I think you just said you like to do things from your perspective, which is awesome.

00:15:21And I will give you credit that you work in the office of Jacksonville.

00:15:25Your dad owns that.

00:15:26And then you started a wrestling company.

00:15:27Very, very difficult to do.

00:15:30But with that being said, it allows you to be pulled very, very thin.

00:15:35A lot of fans, because we polled them and said, what do you guys want to know from Tony Khan?

00:15:39And one of the biggest things that they wanted to know is when we're seeing these matches and these decisions

00:15:44and all those types of things, because you have so many things going on, do you have a group of

00:15:50people around you?

00:15:51Are you signing off on all of these decisions?

00:15:55Because the wrestling we grew up in, there was a whole room of writers, because it's very hard to be

00:16:00as creative as one person.

00:16:01What is your scenario or situation like?

00:16:04Yeah, I have a number of people that work with me in different aspects, whether it's helping put together the

00:16:13announcing, the on-camera segments, putting together backstage segments.

00:16:19But for me, I try to put together an outline of what I want every week for this specific show,

00:16:24segment by segment.

00:16:26And I think it's good when I'm more involved in it.

00:16:29I definitely see a correlation after seven years where the fans can tell and want me to be very engaged.

00:16:35And also, a lot of it is making sure it's quality control.

00:16:40And, you know, in any sport, you know, there might be a play that somebody would bring in to the

00:16:47office that might not work for a certain reason.

00:16:49There might be an idea going into a free agency or a draft that there might not be a total

00:16:56agreement about.

00:16:57And I think having a process where I, you know, am able to be involved over the years, the more

00:17:03I like to call it in the weeds, as the fans have come to describe it, the more I do

00:17:08that, the better the show seems to be received.

00:17:11So I try to stay involved.

00:17:13And that might mean, you know, whether it's talking to different wrestlers about the interviews going into the matches, about

00:17:22what's going to happen in the match.

00:17:24That's all aspects of a wrestling show.

00:17:26And to me, every aspect of the wrestling show under the sun, the showrunner being involved in it is good.

00:17:33Vince, you've had tons of experience working in pro wrestling in different companies, different shows.

00:17:39And I'm sure that you've had different experiences, some shows that maybe you put together on your own and then

00:17:46came in and talked to people about and some that you wrote in a room with a lot of people.

00:17:51And I imagine that's a different process for you, right, versus how you might do one show versus another show.

00:17:59Well, I mean, honestly, I had my I just had my own way of doing things and I kind of

00:18:06did it that way all the time.

00:18:07But we're all different.

00:18:09We all do things differently.

00:18:10But, Tony, listen, I'm going to warn you first.

00:18:13This is a four seamer coming right at your head, Tony.

00:18:17This ain't a softball.

00:18:18This because this is a big pet peeve of mine, Tony.

00:18:21You got to help me out with this one, because I honestly believe overall this has hurt the wrestling business

00:18:30tremendously.

00:18:32You brought up sports.

00:18:34OK, Jaguars.

00:18:36Tony, I am it.

00:18:38I have been a fan of the San Francisco Giants for 55 years.

00:18:44OK, I am an avid fan.

00:18:46I know everything about this team.

00:18:49I have on a website presence.

00:18:54I've got 75,000 followers, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

00:18:59But at the end of the day, I am a fan.

00:19:02I've never been in a locker room.

00:19:04I've never interviewed players.

00:19:06I've never interviewed managers.

00:19:08I am a fan and I know I am a fan.

00:19:12Now, Tony, you talk about the Jaguars.

00:19:14Jaguars have post-game press conferences.

00:19:20Who's at those post-game press conferences?

00:19:24Professionals.

00:19:25What I'm talking about are people with credentials, people with experience, people with a resume,

00:19:33people that have been around the NFL forever.

00:19:37Not fans.

00:19:39These guys are not fans walking into a press conference.

00:19:43So, Tony, I know you got it from Japan, but you started with these scrums.

00:19:48And I'm going to be as blunt as I can be because I've seen a lot of these scrums.

00:19:54OK, because, Tony, we love we love the hugging.

00:19:57We love when people come in and you hug them.

00:19:59We get a big kick out of that.

00:20:00So we watch the scrums.

00:20:02But, Tony, here's my problem.

00:20:04We got a lot of fans in there, Tony, a lot of fans, and a lot of people are in

00:20:10there

00:20:10asking you questions and their talent questions because they got a presence on social media.

00:20:17They've got, you know, 100,000 followers, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

00:20:22But at the end of the day, they're fans.

00:20:25They're not professionals.

00:20:26They act like fans.

00:20:27My problem with this is I believe we have made these fans feel like they are part of

00:20:38the business.

00:20:40Tony, they're not part of the business, especially wrestling.

00:20:45Wrestling has always been a closed fraternity, and it's been very, very special.

00:20:49We have literally let fans feel they are now a part of our business.

00:20:56And I really feel that that has made the wrestling business lose mystique.

00:21:03I feel that has made the wrestling business lose credibility.

00:21:08I feel that it has done way more harm than good.

00:21:13And I think that's one of the reasons why the WWE stopped doing them.

00:21:17There are other reasons, but I think that's part of it.

00:21:20But, Tony, I have to get your spin on that because I just feel like the door is open.

00:21:29Hey, anybody, you got a website?

00:21:31You got 100,000 followers?

00:21:33You got a podcast?

00:21:34Yeah, come on in and ask MJF any question you want to ask him.

00:21:38That doesn't happen anywhere else, Tony.

00:21:41It's a very interesting point you bring up, Vince.

00:21:44But I think that, first of all, there's a difference between working in one job in wrestling versus another job

00:21:51in wrestling.

00:21:51There's a difference between being a wrestling fan versus working in the wrestling industry year-round.

00:21:57But I do think that the lines get blurred, absolutely.

00:22:01And the lines have been blurred more than ever.

00:22:03And absolutely, you mentioned people with big followings and medium-sized followings or small followings and people from all different

00:22:12backgrounds.

00:22:13I think it's good.

00:22:14All these people are connected to wrestling from different walks of life.

00:22:19But, Tony, let me jump in.

00:22:20What he's saying is that when you have a fan come in, a fan's going to ask you, in particular,

00:22:25a question so you don't get upset with him or so you are nice to them.

00:22:31And I spent 11 years at ESPN.

00:22:34That's not a reporter.

00:22:35A reporter is asking Tony Khan, why did you have a needle through a cheek tonight and getting a straight

00:22:43answer?

00:22:43That's what a reporter does.

00:22:44I appreciate that.

00:22:45I appreciate that.

00:22:46And to be fair, the outlets that some of the legitimate journalists in wrestling work for and some of the

00:22:52people who walk the line, that's one of the interesting things.

00:22:55There's shades of gray among some of these outlets.

00:22:58It's not all the worldwide leaders in journalism and sports journalism competing for these spots.

00:23:05I think what's interesting to me, Coach and Vince, is I generally have said, I'll answer every question.

00:23:10I'll stay until everybody's gotten to ask something.

00:23:14And I want to hear everyone's questions.

00:23:16And I'm always open to hear what everyone thinks.

00:23:19And I hear what you're saying, that obviously fans of wrestling are going to receive wrestling positively.

00:23:24But those are also a lot of the people who've chosen to cover wrestling.

00:23:28So I think it's good.

00:23:29And I want to encourage people to cover wrestling and share their thoughts, whatever they may be.

00:23:34You know, and I think we all have different opinions on wrestling.

00:23:39But that's one of the things that makes it great is it brings so many different people all over the

00:23:42world together so consistently every week, all year, forever.

00:23:48But, Joe, I got to ask you this and then we'll move on, Tony.

00:23:50So, Tony, are you saying if I am a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and I got a Jacksonville Jaguar

00:23:58site and I've got 100,000 people on that site, are you going to let me into the post-game

00:24:04press conference?

00:24:05I do think, Vince, that the line to cover the team between some of the fan blogs and some of

00:24:11the reporting, that line in all sports is changing.

00:24:15You know, you see huge followings for some of these fan sites and fan blogs.

00:24:20So I don't think that's exclusive to wrestling where you're seeing people that have come from being big fans of

00:24:26a team or a sport.

00:24:27They have a Patreon or they have, you know, a website or a blog or all of the above.

00:24:34They have a social media presence.

00:24:36That's happening all over the world.

00:24:38That's happening in England with the Premier League.

00:24:39I think there's aspects of that in the NFL.

00:24:42You see some of these big fan blogs where they do get more and more access to the team.

00:24:47So I think it's a really interesting, nuanced point you're bringing up, Vince.

00:24:51But, Coach, you may have seen some of that, too, where, you know, some of the faces in the press

00:24:55room in sports changed also.

00:24:57They certainly did change.

00:24:58There's no doubt about it.

00:24:59And I think – and I do agree with you.

00:25:03I think it has changed over time, but I do think that it would serve you better and it would

00:25:08serve the wrestling business better if we had the Chris Van Vliet's in the room that are going to ask

00:25:14me.

00:25:14The questions should not be fluff.

00:25:16Sometimes the fans – and this is one of the reasons we're excited to have you on today is because

00:25:21I think it's going to help you as a really hardcore CEO to not always dance around a question but

00:25:27answer it directly.

00:25:28Because that can help you because that's who I learned from, and I think that today is a good step

00:25:33forward for you and for us.

00:25:35So with that being said, and for those of you that are just joining us right now, of course, we're

00:25:39joined by Tony Khan, president and CEO of AEW.

00:25:42I want to talk about Jericho for a second because he was on TV April 9th of 2025 and did

00:25:49not hear from him at all until last week.

00:25:52And so the rumor mill was going absolutely crazy.

00:25:55I watched you on Ariel Hawane.

00:25:57You were asked about Jericho.

00:25:59And you do a really good job of talking about Jericho other than what's actually going on.

00:26:04Tell us how close was he to going to WWE.

00:26:09And with bringing him back, what specifically do you want his role at 55 years of age to be?

00:26:17Well, I've always wanted Chris to be a part of AEW from the very beginning.

00:26:20And I'm really glad that Chris is a part of AEW going forward.

00:26:24He always will be.

00:26:25And I can't say with any certainty, I do know Chris had a choice and he wanted to be in

00:26:31AEW.

00:26:32He would be the best person to ask.

00:26:34But I know that I've been in communication with Chris and he definitely told me he wanted to be at

00:26:41AEW and very specifically in Winnipeg on that date.

00:26:45We've had that circled for a long time going back to last year.

00:26:49And it was a choice that Chris made that he'd rather be in AEW than wrestling anywhere else.

00:26:55And I think that's awesome.

00:26:56So I can't say for sure, Coach, exactly what his mind was and where he was thinking.

00:27:03But I know that he definitely always has been consistent that he loves AEW and that he wants to be

00:27:09here.

00:27:10And I'm glad that he chose to be in AEW because that's a choice he made because he was a

00:27:14free agent.

00:27:15And there you go.

00:27:16There you go.

00:27:16That's the first time I've heard you say that.

00:27:18And that's awesome.

00:27:19He was a free agent.

00:27:20He chose to stay.

00:27:22Fantastic.

00:27:22So let me follow that up with another talent question because you've had – and the one thing that talent

00:27:29love about you is you pay them.

00:27:31You pay them on time and they're very, very happy.

00:27:33They love Tony Khan.

00:27:34And I think that's great in a boss.

00:27:36You've had some guys over time that sit out for a long period of time and we don't know why.

00:27:42And then eventually, like a Ricky Saints, they'll talk and say, I'm healthy.

00:27:45I want to work.

00:27:46Or a Britt Baker who just was on a red carpet.

00:27:49They'll say, it's not my choice.

00:27:51I want to work.

00:27:52What's your thought process on using talent that most fans will say, I want to see a Ricky Saints, but

00:27:59he's not being used?

00:28:00What goes into that for you?

00:28:01Well, I think, again, each wrestler is a case-by-case basis, but the people you named, I really like

00:28:08having in AEW.

00:28:10And in Britt's case, she is a part of AEW.

00:28:13In Ricky's case, he's somebody that wrestled here in the past.

00:28:17I think when you guys invited me to come on, I was really excited to talk to you about all

00:28:24aspects of wrestling.

00:28:25And one thing you guys know very well, Vince, you have a lot of experience with this from putting on

00:28:29lots of wrestling shows.

00:28:31And in shows on TVS and TNT, there's a limited amount of hours.

00:28:36And one thing that's been really good, I think, is there's been a real focus that the fans have noticed

00:28:42in AEW in the last year.

00:28:45And there's been people that have come, people that have gone.

00:28:48But I think the shows have had a really great flow.

00:28:53There's been tremendous, as you guys mentioned, I think we've had fans that really enjoy our pay-per-views.

00:28:57But also, the reception for our TV has been really strong.

00:29:01And now the viewership on TVS and TNT is the highest it's been in years.

00:29:05And a couple years ago, when we were doing these numbers, we didn't have any viewers on HBO Max.

00:29:11That was before with the simulcast.

00:29:13So I think we're in a good position right now.

00:29:17Each wrestler you're asking me about is on a case-by-case basis.

00:29:20But I try to make a plan going into the next pay-per-view, the next several weeks of television.

00:29:27And frankly, with the high-impact, high-velocity aspects of pro wrestling,

00:29:35there are constantly injuries, reasons why you might change these things.

00:29:40And I think for us, it's one of the reasons why you see wrestlers come or leave a lot of

00:29:47times is due to an injury.

00:29:48And then it may take some time to work somebody back in because you've got different things going with different

00:29:54wrestlers.

00:29:55But I think it's been good for us with our two hours every Wednesday night that we do, like tomorrow

00:30:01night on TVS,

00:30:02and two hours every Saturday night on TNT, not trying to jam 36 matches in two hours

00:30:11and try to keep focus on what we've got.

00:30:14And our fans really like the show that we're doing right now.

00:30:17But absolutely, I've been bringing back some faces and really consistently have people that kind of come and go.

00:30:24There's an injury, you bring somebody back.

00:30:26It happens all the time.

00:30:28Just in recent weeks, we've seen, you mentioned Chris Jericho, Hikaru Shida, Private Party.

00:30:33And that's a great example because Private Party had some great matches upon their return.

00:30:37And then Mark Quinn, we announced, had an injury this past week when they were wrestling the Death Riders.

00:30:44And that's unfortunate.

00:30:46I really like Isaiah and Mark Quinn, but now Isaiah will be on his own without Mark Quinn for several

00:30:51months at least.

00:30:52And that's a good example right there.

00:30:54Guys who I really like that have been here for a long time, that were away for a long time,

00:30:59came back, and we have an injury.

00:31:01That creates an opportunity for somebody else, either somebody to do more on the show that's already been on the

00:31:06show,

00:31:06or somebody to come back that hasn't been on, or maybe somebody new altogether.

00:31:11You know, I've signed a lot of new wrestlers this year, too.

00:31:13And I really enjoy that process.

00:31:16I think watching a lot of wrestling.

00:31:18Vince, I like your show.

00:31:19That's one of the wrestling shows I like to watch.

00:31:20There you go.

00:31:21There's good young talent.

00:31:22There's veterans out there.

00:31:23And it's fun to watch it.

00:31:25Speaking of my show, Tony, I would love, I'm throwing this olive branch out there.

00:31:32I would love to bring a Miss Britt Baker on our show.

00:31:37If you've got too many bodies on AEW, I would love to bring Britt Baker on our show, JCW, and

00:31:44I will bring her on, Tony, to promote AEW.

00:31:49I would promise you, Tony, we'll get more eyeballs on AEW.

00:31:54So, Tony, I'm throwing that out there to you, and I'm not going to put you on the spot to

00:31:58answer.

00:31:58But speaking of more eyeballs, Tony, I got to ask you, Tony.

00:32:01And by the way, I'm not saying there's too many people in AEW where there's not there.

00:32:05I really think Britt adds a lot of time.

00:32:06Is that a no?

00:32:07Is that a no?

00:32:08Like I said, every case is different.

00:32:10Is that a no that Britt Baker can't come over on TV?

00:32:12No, it's not.

00:32:13It's not.

00:32:13You never know.

00:32:14And I think you did a great job.

00:32:16How is your process, Vince, now versus in years past?

00:32:20Because you've worked for different companies in different eras of TV.

00:32:24Is it similar to what you would have done in TNA?

00:32:27Has not changed.

00:32:29Has not changed at all.

00:32:31Doesn't matter who I'm working for, which is going to lead to my next question.

00:32:35Okay?

00:32:36And Tony, I am giving you this basically as something that I know worked for me a million

00:32:46fold.

00:32:47Okay?

00:32:48Tony, I think a lot of bookers run into this problem.

00:32:54I think you run into this problem.

00:32:56I think Triple H runs into this problem.

00:33:00I saw Jeff Jarrett run into this problem.

00:33:03I think when you're in a position of booking, okay, you tend to write a show that you like.

00:33:14And I'm not talking about you, just you.

00:33:16I've seen this a million times, Tony.

00:33:19Triple H is doing this.

00:33:21Triple H is writing a show that he likes.

00:33:25I never wrote a show for Vince Russo because, Tony, quite frankly, it doesn't matter what I like.

00:33:34What matters are the masses.

00:33:38That's what matters.

00:33:40And the numbers tell you what they're watching and where they're turning off the channel.

00:33:46You're giving that information every single week.

00:33:49So what I'm throwing at you, Tony, is this.

00:33:53And it is what it is.

00:33:55But the very first show of AEW, 1.4 million people tried it out.

00:34:02By the time we got to the next week, that wasn't everybody's cup of tea.

00:34:07And that's okay.

00:34:08That's okay.

00:34:09You're not going to.

00:34:10If you would have came back with 1.4 million the next week, it would have been incredible.

00:34:15You're going to lose people.

00:34:16But the bottom line is 1.4 million people tried out the product.

00:34:21By the time we got to the next week, we had about half.

00:34:25That just means it doesn't mean it was bad.

00:34:27It means it wasn't for them.

00:34:30So here's my question to you, Tony.

00:34:32And this is what I would.

00:34:33If I'm Tony Khan, this is what I'm doing.

00:34:35Bro, you got a hardcore built-in audience.

00:34:38And this audience will kill for AEW.

00:34:41They will kill.

00:34:42God forbid you say something negative about AEW online.

00:34:47You might as well shut your computer off for a week.

00:34:49And Tony, that's attributed to you.

00:34:53The freaking loyalty is incredible.

00:34:55However, Tony, there's millions and millions and millions of casual wrestling fans out there,

00:35:05including me, that do not sit there and watch wrestling anymore every week.

00:35:13It's not the cup of tea that they liked or grew up on or the Attitude Era.

00:35:20It's different.

00:35:22As the writer, and you just asked me what I'm doing today, here's the bottom line with me.

00:35:28I want to get as many people as possible to watch this show.

00:35:32Amen.

00:35:32Whether you're a hardcore fan, whether you're a casual fan, entertainment fan,

00:35:37I want as many people as possible to watch this show.

00:35:42With that being said, Tony, have you had discussions?

00:35:47Do you have plans?

00:35:48Do you have ideas of how you may be able to open this up to the masses who may not

00:35:56be watching it right now?

00:35:58Well, I think it's a great point, Vince.

00:36:01And I'm glad you asked because, again, different people have different philosophies.

00:36:06I love wrestling and I put on a wrestling show that I think the fans of AEW really like.

00:36:12And there might be other wrestling promotions that have existed in history.

00:36:16But like you said, the AEW fans really like what we're doing.

00:36:19The network is thrilled with the viewership that we put together.

00:36:23And you mentioned being on since 2019.

00:36:27Well, if you look back, we started in October 2019.

00:36:30And you mentioned where we're at now.

00:36:34I mean, from the second month of the show, there's a very similar audience watching right now.

00:36:39So for over six and a half years, it's gone up at times.

00:36:44It's gone down.

00:36:45But right now, it's in a strong period.

00:36:47And we've been able to maintain and at times grow that audience.

00:36:50You've got those people.

00:36:52You've got them.

00:36:53Tony, they're not going nowhere.

00:36:55You've got those people.

00:36:56It was my mentality when I went to the WWE.

00:36:59We had those people.

00:37:00How do we get the people not watching the show?

00:37:04And that's when the Attitude Era was born and you saw numbers go through the roof.

00:37:08Those were people that were not watching wrestling.

00:37:13Those people you got now, God bless them.

00:37:16Tony, you got them.

00:37:17They ain't going anywhere.

00:37:18How do we open this up to bypass the WWE, to challenge the WWE, Tony?

00:37:25That's what I'm talking about.

00:37:27Tony, we're behind you, Tony.

00:37:29What are we doing, Tony?

00:37:31That's what we're asking you.

00:37:32I think that we've got great fans with AEW and a great fan base.

00:37:37And I appreciate your point, but I do think those fans hold us to a high standard.

00:37:42They want a great show.

00:37:44And I plan to deliver a strong show every Wednesday and every Saturday.

00:37:49And I appreciate your point.

00:37:50We constantly want to grow the viewership.

00:37:52That's why I wanted to come talk to you.

00:37:54You invited me on the show.

00:37:55You've got a lot of fans.

00:37:56A lot of them might not watch AEW.

00:37:59But to your point, Vince, I may have a great audience.

00:38:03I do have a great audience, but it's grown in recent months.

00:38:07And it's people coming back.

00:38:09It's people trying to show out.

00:38:10It's new fans.

00:38:11I like where we're at right now.

00:38:13I like where we're at right now better than a year or even two years ago.

00:38:17And I really, you know, you can't go backwards.

00:38:21You can't go back in time.

00:38:22And that's a huge thing to me.

00:38:23It's important to look back at history and learn from it.

00:38:26But we all know you can't go back.

00:38:28And there's no second chance to do the exact same thing over again.

00:38:30All you can do is learn from it.

00:38:32So over the past six years, I've tried to learn.

00:38:35I've tried to learn from different people.

00:38:37I've never gotten to meet you, Vince.

00:38:39And you've got a lot of experience in wrestling.

00:38:41Definitely anybody who's watched the shows that we work on would say those guys have totally

00:38:46different approaches to wrestling.

00:38:49And that's great.

00:38:50When I watch your show, I think, man, there's some really cool stuff in here.

00:38:55It's very different from how an AEW show would be.

00:38:58But that's good.

00:38:59I like seeing different approaches.

00:39:00I think you do some brilliant things.

00:39:02Even some of the transitions from the backstage to the wrestling matches, there's some brilliant

00:39:07things.

00:39:08And you're still doing it 30 years later from when you started working on writing wrestling

00:39:13shows.

00:39:13I think it's phenomenal.

00:39:14Tony, you do know by what you just said.

00:39:17I just want to clarify something.

00:39:19By what you just said, David Meltzer is never going to talk to you ever again.

00:39:24I just want you to be aware.

00:39:26That's very clear.

00:39:27For you to come on here and put my writing over, your relationship with David is over.

00:39:32No.

00:39:33You know what?

00:39:33Dave, everybody's got different perspectives on wrestling, Vince.

00:39:36And both of you might have a different perspective than each other.

00:39:41And your perspectives may be more similar to each other than they are to mine.

00:39:44But to that point, I saw Dave Meltzer.

00:39:47And he and I disagree on this.

00:39:49He asked why I would come on the show because he thinks at times you guys have been critical.

00:39:54I can't say I know chapter and verse everything you guys have ever said about AEW.

00:39:58But it seemed like a nice invitation to come on the show.

00:40:01And I have respect for both of you and your accomplishments.

00:40:03And I thought it was a nice thing when I saw you invited me to come on.

00:40:06And Dave said, why would you want to come on the show with anybody that's been critical?

00:40:11And in his opinion, he said some of it wasn't in good faith.

00:40:14I don't know that.

00:40:15And 1,000%.

00:40:16It seems fine.

00:40:18Yeah.

00:40:19But the thing that's different about us than every other show is we ask the questions on how to help

00:40:26you grow the show.

00:40:28And Meltzer's just a reporter.

00:40:29We've done this for well over 20 years inside the business, not reporting on the business.

00:40:33So we've seen it, and we've been there for good, for bad, for growth, for millions, and all of that.

00:40:37So you just said a couple of things I want to hit on.

00:40:42Because you said we're always looking to grow the audience.

00:40:44So let's start right there.

00:40:46And then also one of the big things that WWE is dealing with is the mispricing of tickets.

00:40:51And they literally insulted themselves on last night's show.

00:40:56And they tagged us because we've been saying it, not criticizing that's the fact and that's the truth.

00:41:02And Pat McAfee tagged us because we've been saying that.

00:41:05So I ask you that to say this.

00:41:07You have fan-friendly pricing.

00:41:10You have some of your talent out there talking about fan-friendly pricing.

00:41:13But then you have a pay-per-view where you have somebody sticking a needle through somebody's face.

00:41:19And if you're growing the audience, Tony, and if they're coming to you during the day and saying we're having

00:41:24a Texas death match and we're trying to do this,

00:41:27I'm all for a hardcore match here and there.

00:41:31But you're at a point right now that your company has a chance to really grow.

00:41:35Your company, Tony, has a chance to grab some of those fans from WWE.

00:41:39Is that the smartest play when you know that people are trying you out?

00:41:44And the proof of that is after Revolution, you've had three straight weeks of more and more and more.

00:41:51So when they come to you and you decide how those hardcore things are going to happen, what is your

00:41:57approach?

00:41:57And what is your answer to those talents?

00:41:59It, again, is a case-by-case basis.

00:42:02There are absolutely some hardcore things that I've said I don't think would be a good idea, but it's usually

00:42:07for the sake of safety.

00:42:08There are times where I've run things by the network, but Coach, the example you just gave was a pay

00:42:13-per-view.

00:42:13So I do think that the violence and the excitement, some of the hardcore stuff on a pay-per-view,

00:42:20that can be another level of hardcore violence in pro wrestling.

00:42:23And when you watch a pay-per-view, and certainly to the point you just made, Coach, we've had great

00:42:27viewership since AEW Revolution.

00:42:29So I think there was a really positive response to the Revolution show.

00:42:33There may be, out of 100 different wrestling moves and things that happened on the show, there could be 95

00:42:40you liked and five you didn't.

00:42:42And I think people would respond more positively than the 95 they did like.

00:42:48Hey, Tony, I'm going to give you another tool in the toolbox, okay?

00:42:53You're getting a master's class today, Tony, a master's class.

00:42:56Come on, Tony, yeah.

00:42:57Tony, listen, I had a philosophy.

00:43:00Remember, you're a historian.

00:43:03You know everything that goes on.

00:43:05Nitro was kicking our ass.

00:43:06Make no question about it, okay?

00:43:08Here was my philosophy.

00:43:11When you're number one, number two does not exist.

00:43:16You don't bring them up.

00:43:18You don't talk about them.

00:43:20Pardon my French, they're a pimple on your ass.

00:43:23When you're number two, you throw the kitchen sink at number one.

00:43:30What I'm talking about is DX invading, you know, WCW's building, and, you know, the shots fired.

00:43:40At, you know, Nitro, and Bischoff, and WCW, and say what you want.

00:43:46But at the end of the day, that paid off.

00:43:50You are in a position now, Tony, where WWE, man, is doing a lot of damage control, man.

00:43:59They are reeling.

00:44:01There is a lot of negative press right now with ticket prices.

00:44:07Creative sucks.

00:44:09I'll just say it, Tony.

00:44:11There's a lot of negativity.

00:44:13There's a lot of people turning away from the WWE.

00:44:18Here's the window.

00:44:20Stick the screws in, Tony.

00:44:22Stick the screws in.

00:44:24Use that tool in the toolbox, Tony.

00:44:28Use it.

00:44:29Don't be afraid to use it because, Tony, you're a historian.

00:44:33It freaking worked.

00:44:34It worked, and it would work again because now it's exactly what Coach said.

00:44:40You may have people leaving the WWE, coming to AEW, and all of a sudden, if the little guy is

00:44:50taking some shots, I like this.

00:44:54Tony, we started taking shots at the WWE because here was my mentality.

00:45:00I wanted people to say, oh, my God, I don't believe they have the balls to do that.

00:45:08Do it, Tony.

00:45:09Do it.

00:45:10So I changed my approach, Vince.

00:45:12At the beginning of AEW, there really was a really collective rebel spirit.

00:45:19And now I think AEW is very established, and people know AEW has got a really quality product and a

00:45:26lot of fans.

00:45:26And I do want to grow that fan base, Vince, but the way I would do something now might be

00:45:31different than how I would have done it six or seven years ago.

00:45:34And I also think it's possible that Vince Russo and Vince McMahon and DX could succeed by zigging at one

00:45:40point, where I might succeed by zagging at another point.

00:45:43And there's different ways to get to success.

00:45:46And I've got my ideas in my way, but I can learn from different people.

00:45:50And I might not incorporate every aspect of it, but I do want to hear your thoughts and ideas.

00:45:54I think it's interesting.

00:45:55I don't disagree with everything you're saying, but I think the AEW fans would also agree.

00:46:00I've refined my own media strategy, and I think people have seen me trying to take the high road.

00:46:06Some of it is the fact that, like you, Vince, and again, we have different approaches, but I think we're

00:46:12coming from the same place on this.

00:46:13Like you, Vince, I believe in taking the high road when possible.

00:46:16So when Dave Meltzer said, why would you want to go on this show?

00:46:19I said, first of all, I'm not going to hold anything anybody said about AEW against them for the rest

00:46:26of their lives.

00:46:27That's not what Christianity is.

00:46:28That's not what Jesus would do.

00:46:30We just celebrated Easter this past weekend.

00:46:32And so we have different philosophies, but I feel like by taking the high road, that's rubbed people the right

00:46:40way.

00:46:41Different people can say different things.

00:46:42There's some things, Vince, that you or some people in wrestling could say that might be perceived different coming from

00:46:48you than if it was me saying it.

00:46:51I don't know what it is about me, but I think, like, I have a different voice than you have.

00:46:56So for me, you know, this is good.

00:46:59And I'm not saying trying to kill everybody with kindness, but being nice to people has gotten me a long

00:47:04way.

00:47:05And I've been trying to do it more in recent years.

00:47:07And I think that's fine, but you're also in the world of pro wrestling, and you can be a nice

00:47:13guy and all that.

00:47:14You mentioned talking to Meltzer twice, and I asked you at the start of the interview, who is the people

00:47:20around you that you listen to?

00:47:21Because it's impossible, impossible to come up with all of these creative ideas by yourself.

00:47:27So are you actively talking to Meltzer?

00:47:31Because I know you're not talking about his radio show.

00:47:32Like, do you call?

00:47:34Does he call you and say, hey, why would you go on there?

00:47:36Because we don't even bring him up.

00:47:38Because he is like a pimple on our ass, and I don't respect what he has to say.

00:47:43Well, you did bring him up.

00:47:44I think that's how his name came up.

00:47:46I brought him up.

00:47:46No, no, he brought him up, not me.

00:47:48I'm saying on a normal show, we don't.

00:47:52Because he's part of the world of just throwing stuff against the wall, but he's never been backstage at a

00:47:57wrestling show.

00:47:58He has been backstage at a wrestling show.

00:48:00Not bad, I've seen Dave backstage at a wrestling show.

00:48:04Right, and immediately kicked out, Tony.

00:48:06And immediately kicked out.

00:48:08Again, there's different examples of different things.

00:48:12But I'm not saying that's the person in the office working on all the shows.

00:48:16You know, I used a good example of this earlier.

00:48:18I'm the only person that goes to every show and is working on every show through the years.

00:48:24There's different people.

00:48:26And Vince, you might appreciate this.

00:48:27Because not everybody has the 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year wrestling engine.

00:48:36Some people want some time off between shows.

00:48:39That's not me.

00:48:40I'm going to be there every week all the time.

00:48:42But I respect giving other people some time off between shows.

00:48:46Maybe only coming once a week instead of both shows every week.

00:48:49Or taking a couple weeks off with your family.

00:48:51That's okay.

00:48:53You know, I used this, not to reuse an analogy, but I got asked a similar question to this.

00:48:58And I had an answer that is answering with an example from a movie.

00:49:03And it's a scene in Ghostbusters when they're driving over the bridge.

00:49:07And you see Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd in the car.

00:49:11And it's Ray and Winston.

00:49:13When the car is driving on the bridge, those were not the two Ghostbusters anybody was expecting to see in

00:49:18the car.

00:49:18We've never seen just those two together at any point.

00:49:21But that's how work goes.

00:49:22Like, it's two people.

00:49:24It's not just the same two people in the office every day.

00:49:27I have a lot of people in the office.

00:49:28But at the end of the day, there's really one person that has to kind of sit down and make

00:49:35the decision which matches and segments go where.

00:49:38But I do like to hear lots of different ideas.

00:49:41You can only hear so many ideas in a week and a day.

00:49:43So, again, like, Vince, I'm sure you have your own process.

00:49:46You've worked on hundreds and hundreds of wrestling shows.

00:49:49And it sounds like you have a pretty consistent process.

00:49:52Well, Tony, I'm going to tell you this because I know because we study you, Tony.

00:49:59We study you, Tony.

00:50:00We do.

00:50:00And I do want to say this.

00:50:02I know your inspiration.

00:50:04You've brought that Ghostbuster reference up before.

00:50:07I know you are a time cop, total mark.

00:50:13I know that.

00:50:14We've established that.

00:50:15Tony, can I play?

00:50:16Can I share something with you when I need to be inspired?

00:50:23Like, you watch Time Cop.

00:50:26Can I play for you what I play when I need to be inspired?

00:50:30Please.

00:50:31I would love to know.

00:50:32I need total silence, Tony.

00:50:33Don't interrupt this.

00:50:35This is on my soundboard.

00:50:37This clip gets played, I'd say, at least once a day.

00:50:42Okay.

00:50:42Here we go, Tony.

00:50:45This is what we envisioned in January, okay?

00:50:49Yes, sir.

00:50:49It's happening here in September.

00:50:51Love this.

00:50:52It will go on forever.

00:50:53Forever, Tony!

00:50:55Forever!

00:50:55Tony, what about the respect to Father Shad?

00:50:59Once a week I play that, Tony.

00:51:01That's got to be worth something.

00:51:03It is, and what makes it even better to me is to know my dad was in the locker room,

00:51:08and

00:51:08I don't even know that he understands he was doing Terry Funk.

00:51:12But my dad did Terry Funk in the locker room, and I thought it was so cool, and I don't

00:51:17know if there was one other person there.

00:51:19I was there when he did it, and that's what I was thinking, is dad's doing the Terry Funk,

00:51:23and he's killing.

00:51:25Yeah.

00:51:25No doubt about it.

00:51:26No doubt about it.

00:51:28Tony, thank you for having me.

00:51:28We'll only take a few more minutes, but there's a couple other topics I wanted to get into.

00:51:32And thank you again for the time.

00:51:34And I think one thing, you know, you bring up everybody has different experiences, and

00:51:39I appreciate you not listening to the people around you.

00:51:41I think we've been not only very respectful, but asking you some difficult questions, because

00:51:45we want this business to grow.

00:51:47That's what we're all about.

00:51:48The reason we're growing so fast is people have found us because they know there's no

00:51:52fluff.

00:51:52They know that we get right to it.

00:51:55So when you hear that from people, because of the way you normally do some interviews,

00:52:00have you had media coaches or people like us around you that are honest with you?

00:52:06Because it's really hard when you're in a position like yourself to have people be honest with

00:52:11you because of the power you bring, not only from the Jacksonville Jaguars side, but being

00:52:17a billionaire owner of AEW.

00:52:19I've always wondered that.

00:52:20I hope so, and I believe so.

00:52:22You know, I'm trying my best, and I do think I get good, honest feedback on those things.

00:52:27But I also think I learn from experience.

00:52:29The more I've been around it, you know, I pick up things.

00:52:32It's interesting learning from other people, too, other people who've worked in wrestling.

00:52:38You know, Vince, I thought you did a fantastic interview.

00:52:41I don't agree with every wrestling idea that you have.

00:52:43You don't agree with every wrestling idea I have, but that's okay.

00:52:46I think I had a perception of you that was different, and then I heard you on Steve Austin's

00:52:52podcast, and I thought that was such a fantastic interview.

00:52:56I learned a lot from listening to it, and I learned a lot about you, and it gave me a

00:52:59different perspective on you.

00:53:01So then when I go out and do different podcasts of people I respect, obviously you and Steve

00:53:05knew each other very well.

00:53:07You had a rapport.

00:53:07It came off immediately.

00:53:10I don't know you guys, but I hope that I can make a new fan and hopefully get insights

00:53:16from you guys, and people will want to see more AEW because of this conversation.

00:53:20Tony, do you know how I—I'm sorry, Coach, before I forget this.

00:53:24Tony, do you know how I was first introduced to you?

00:53:31AEW is first starting, and they're interviewing Tony Khan.

00:53:35Now, I don't know Tony Khan from Adam.

00:53:38I would, you know, I would suggest after this interview, we're pretty good friends.

00:53:42You know, we're best buds.

00:53:43Besties.

00:53:44I didn't know you from Adam.

00:53:46Tony, this is what you said.

00:53:49Tony, I did not know you.

00:53:52Vince Russo went into WCW, and they had a hangnail.

00:53:59Vince proceeded to cut the entire arm off.

00:54:02Tony, that's—

00:54:03I'm sorry.

00:54:04And I'm not sure that's—I'm not sure that's fair.

00:54:08Yeah, Tony, that's—

00:54:09Yeah, Tony, you took that.

00:54:09Seven years ago.

00:54:10All right, now, Tony, Coach, one thing.

00:54:13I got to ask one question.

00:54:14I don't think that now—

00:54:15By the way, Vince, now knowing more history and I've seen a lot more, I don't think that

00:54:19was fair to you, and I'm sorry.

00:54:20I'm joking.

00:54:20I'm joking, Tony.

00:54:21I'm joking.

00:54:22We don't take anything personal here.

00:54:24I'm joking.

00:54:24Tony, I got to ask you a question out of my morbid curiosity, then I'm going to ask you

00:54:28a very serious question.

00:54:29Okay, so I'm going to throw a softball and then a fastball, and then I'm going to give it to

00:54:32the coach.

00:54:33Tony, we study you.

00:54:34We love you.

00:54:35We love when you go out in front of the people at AEW and you do the horse stomp.

00:54:40I pop freaking huge for that.

00:54:43And when you go in to promote a voice, when you lower the voice a couple—I pop huge for

00:54:48that.

00:54:48Here's the mystery we can't solve.

00:54:51at these scrums, Tony, it's always like four cups.

00:54:57Like, there isn't just one cup in front of you.

00:55:01No, there's like four—what's in the various cups, Tony?

00:55:05You've got like—

00:55:06Black coffee.

00:55:07In all the cups.

00:55:08Black coffee.

00:55:09Black coffee.

00:55:10Black coffee.

00:55:10Okay.

00:55:10Wow.

00:55:11Here's the fastball.

00:55:12Here's the—Tony, it's come right at your head.

00:55:14Tony, listen, I swear to God, it is so cool.

00:55:18Listen, man, God bless you and Shad.

00:55:22You're a wealthy family.

00:55:24You have a lot of money.

00:55:25With that, your dream able to come true of owning a wrestling company, right?

00:55:30So obviously, bro, this is a dream.

00:55:33You always talk about booking when you were a kid and everything.

00:55:35God bless you.

00:55:36Good for you.

00:55:37Bro, I wish I could own a baseball team.

00:55:39Like, it's phenomenal.

00:55:40So Tony, let's face it.

00:55:42You're going in this.

00:55:43Bro, this is rainbows, unicorns.

00:55:46This is my dream.

00:55:47I can't wait to get this thing started.

00:55:50Then we have the CM Punk scrum.

00:55:54Tony, I got to tell you something.

00:55:56While you're sitting there and I'm watching you,

00:56:01to me, like my knee jerk was,

00:56:04Tony Khan, welcome to the world of professional wrestling.

00:56:10Because you went in, you know, thinking this was going to be great.

00:56:14A million ideas.

00:56:15You've waited for this.

00:56:16It's your entire life.

00:56:18And then you're hit with the reality of the wrestling business.

00:56:25The question I want to ask you, because Tony, I'll never forget you sitting there.

00:56:29And I felt so freaking bad.

00:56:32I'm like, this guy did not see this thing coming.

00:56:35You didn't know what to do.

00:56:37Like, it was so freaking awkward.

00:56:39But here's what I want to ask you.

00:56:41What did you learn from that particular moment in time?

00:56:47What did you take away from that time?

00:56:52I came out of that wanting for AEW to succeed and for AEW to continue more than anything.

00:57:01And what we were able to do to rebound from that,

00:57:06obviously, I wanted in a perfect world, everybody to be able to get together and work together.

00:57:11I don't think that was possible.

00:57:13But I also think that we've been able in the past few years to really keep AEW strong.

00:57:19To me, that was the most important thing.

00:57:21I learned a number of things.

00:57:23I probably would do things differently, say things differently.

00:57:26But like you said, it wasn't something I was expecting.

00:57:29You're very experienced in wrestling.

00:57:31And you know that was very much a welcome to wrestling in some aspects of it.

00:57:36Because that was, for me, I'd been in wrestling for almost four years at that point.

00:57:40But that was certainly a first for me.

00:57:43And as with all firsts, you're going to learn from them.

00:57:47And hope not to ever have a repeat.

00:57:51Tony, I know we've kept you an hour.

00:57:52We're going to have to do a part two of this.

00:57:54I've got just two very quick questions.

00:57:55And then we'll let you out here because we know you're busy.

00:57:57And hopefully, you'll want to come back because we'd love to have you back.

00:58:00That'd be great.

00:58:01All right.

00:58:01So on my SiriusXM show, we had the reporter who uncovered back in 23 all of the different people who

00:58:10bid to buy WWE.

00:58:12And it came out that a company that you own bid about $6.9 billion, I believe, to buy the

00:58:18WWE.

00:58:19Why did you do that?

00:58:22I was very interested in the process.

00:58:26And I think that if there was going to be a sale, I would at least want to have a

00:58:31chance to be involved.

00:58:33And if it had gone for any less than that, I would have really kicked myself.

00:58:39Were you ever given a chance?

00:58:41Because we've seen a lot of the stories and who knows what to believe, but we were told and found

00:58:48out that it wasn't a bidding process, that it was a we're going to go over here process.

00:58:53Is that how it played out for you?

00:58:55Were you given a chance to outbid the others?

00:59:00While respecting the confidentiality of that, I would say I don't have any complaints about that process for my side

00:59:12right now that I'd want to talk about right now.

00:59:14I do think there was some stuff to that.

00:59:17And while respecting the confidentiality of the whole thing, I also would say that at the time, that seemed like

00:59:30to me, just reiterating, if it had gone for any less, I would have really beat myself up.

00:59:37Like, why wouldn't you put in a bid if it was, you know, I thought that was a very reasonable

00:59:41number that I put in.

00:59:42Well, it was because it was in the six to seven billion.

00:59:44You bid market value.

00:59:46That's true.

00:59:47I mean, that's what's been written.

00:59:48And again, that's not for me.

00:59:50But now, based on the information that's out there, I've gone out of my way to be respectful.

00:59:55You know, again, going back to taking the high road, that's not something I've really talked about or gone out

01:00:00and tried to act big league or talk big league about.

01:00:04You know, I've really tried to focus on the wrestling show.

01:00:06And that was several years ago.

01:00:08And thank you.

01:00:09Those have been really good years for AEW.

01:00:10Well, we do homework here.

01:00:12And we like to come in and be prepared.

01:00:13And I think you've seen that we are very prepared today.

01:00:16The last one is, and I think some of the feedback you've got about us being critical, is we say

01:00:20we are critical of things here on the show.

01:00:23But the one thing we do that nobody else does is we give a solution.

01:00:27We say, here's what we think of the problem.

01:00:28And then Vince says, as you've seen today, here's what I would do.

01:00:32And so to me, if you don't want to do it,

01:00:35I feel, and Vince usually agrees with me, that you could use a powerful, authoritative voice in your show because

01:00:45a lot of times your guys will fight, fight, fight, make a match, and it's made without so much.

01:00:50Or maybe the announcer say, hey, we confirmed with Tony Khan at the commercial break.

01:00:54You met with Shane McMahon.

01:00:56There are pictures of you meeting with Shane McMahon.

01:00:59Was that ever close?

01:01:01And have you ever thought about if you don't want to be that character of bringing one in?

01:01:06Well, first of all, so we've been on so long that I have run the battery so much now that

01:01:13I'm going to do a little set change here and plug in.

01:01:17So if you can give me one second, I'm actually going to plug in into the outlet here and keep

01:01:23this thing going because I don't want to rush off.

01:01:25No, man, this is awesome.

01:01:26No, we love the time, and thank you.

01:01:30No, it's my pleasure, guys.

01:01:31It's really my pleasure.

01:01:33So I've enjoyed it a lot, too.

01:01:35And so here, I'm moving closer to the wall.

01:01:38There we go.

01:01:38We got you again.

01:01:39But this is good.

01:01:41So, you know, I, in all seriousness, okay, so first of all, can you?

01:01:49We hear you perfectly.

01:01:50You're good.

01:01:51Okay, good.

01:01:51I just want to make sure you can hear me and see me.

01:01:53Great.

01:01:55I think that's a fair point.

01:01:57Now, you could argue who would be the right person for that.

01:02:01I do think that the mechanic of matchmaking, for example, in the NFL, when I watch NFL football, and I

01:02:09have a ton of respect for him, he would be the first person to say that's not the reason people

01:02:14are watching the games is to see Commissioner Roger Goodell.

01:02:17He's a huge part of the game.

01:02:19He's important to the function of the game.

01:02:22He's instrumental to what we do with the NFL, but it's not like every time I watch NFL, and NFL

01:02:29is the most watched show in the country, 90 or more out of the top 100 programs are NFL football.

01:02:39And for me, again, the commissioner is a huge part of the game, but the commissioner of a sport doesn't

01:02:44necessarily need to be all over the show.

01:02:47So, you know, when people talk AEW, I think people generally kind of know that I'm the commissioner of AEW,

01:02:54but I also don't think that that's necessarily a role that you want to see on TV.

01:02:59Now, Vince, your perspective on this might have changed because when you started doing the writing in WCW originally, I

01:03:04don't think you intended to be a character in the show.

01:03:06And you were a device in the show, but did your perception, did your ideas change about why you would

01:03:14or wouldn't want to do that?

01:03:15Yeah. First of all, I wouldn't recommend it if you work on the show.

01:03:19If you work on it, you need to just be a character because being a character on the show, it's

01:03:24going to take away from your other responsibilities of the show.

01:03:27That's why I never enjoyed doing that.

01:03:29That makes sense. That makes good sense.

01:03:31Yeah.

01:03:32Well, you know, for me, I think that's really good advice.

01:03:36And for me, I haven't had to deal with it much other than, you know, if there's a big announcement

01:03:40like we're going to Wembley Stadium.

01:03:42Right. Yeah.

01:03:43And where it's really worthwhile that I think I want to be a big part of it or there's a

01:03:47good reason why I should be in there.

01:03:48Like when we announced AEW All-In London, which is coming back this year, going back to London Wembley Stadium,

01:03:56where we set the world record, we sold 81,000 tickets.

01:03:59Oh, you guys are doing it. You guys are doing it in those big stadiums for sure.

01:04:02Because I know we're low on time.

01:04:04So the other part of that was Shane McMahon.

01:04:06How close did that come?

01:04:07Is that anything you would want to do in the future?

01:04:10I had one really pleasant conversation with Shane.

01:04:13Shane reached out to me and said, I'd love to get together.

01:04:16And where are you going to be?

01:04:18And I was going to be in Dallas.

01:04:22We were doing a bunch of shows around Arlington, Texas.

01:04:24And I had said to Shane, like, yeah, that's where I'm going to be.

01:04:27I can meet you here.

01:04:29And we had a nice conversation.

01:04:30We talked for a few hours in the airport.

01:04:32I thought it was really strange that a photo came out from it.

01:04:36I thought it was pretty unusual.

01:04:37It could just be somebody that worked at the airport.

01:04:39But I know I had nothing to do with it.

01:04:42It's very unusual.

01:04:43I talked to people all the time from all different media places.

01:04:49Now, Shane's a very recognizable face in sports and especially in the world of wrestling,

01:04:54where almost any wrestling fan is going to recognize him.

01:04:57So that could be what it is.

01:04:58Somebody recognized that we were in a room and wanted to take a photo.

01:05:01So I'm in a lot of rooms with a lot of people.

01:05:03I only had that happen to me one time.

01:05:05So I thought that was pretty unusual, that the photo.

01:05:08You could see in the photo, I'm very surprised when the person walked into the room.

01:05:13Yeah.

01:05:14And I noticed he wasn't as surprised in the photo as I was.

01:05:17So maybe there was something there.

01:05:19Yeah.

01:05:20But, you know, I've only had the one really nice talk with him.

01:05:23I thought that was interesting.

01:05:24And I also thought it was quite impressive that in one conversation, somehow it got out that I had talked

01:05:30to him.

01:05:31But that was really it.

01:05:32But it was a very pleasant chat.

01:05:33And he seemed like a really interesting guy.

01:05:35But, you know, I don't think the role of being like an on-screen person in a wrestling show seemed

01:05:44like particularly the thing he was interested in.

01:05:46But, you know, he had a lot of interesting things and experiences that are totally different than mine.

01:05:51But I don't particularly think he went into it thinking, I want to be a character on this guy's show.

01:05:56Yeah.

01:05:57I dealt with him with a different company.

01:05:59So I know exactly what you're not saying.

01:06:01But I agree with you 1,000%.

01:06:03He's looking for ownership.

01:06:04He's looking to be on your level because I dealt with that with a different company that I just worked

01:06:10with.

01:06:10So I know exactly what you're talking about.

01:06:12I want to show you a couple of good things because I think you need to hear some really positive

01:06:16about you.

01:06:16Before I do that, Vince, are you good?

01:06:18You have anything else?

01:06:18Can I just say one thing to Tony?

01:06:20Sure.

01:06:20Absolutely.

01:06:21Tony, I love the fact on this show you pointing out your Christianity.

01:06:27I also love the fact of you pointing out the high road.

01:06:32Tony, listen.

01:06:33I don't know you from Adam.

01:06:34This is the first time we have had a conversation.

01:06:36If you really listen to Russo Brand, you would have heard me say a million times, this is a good

01:06:44guy.

01:06:45You might not agree with his wrestling philosophy.

01:06:47This is a good guy and a good human being.

01:06:50With that being said, Tony, I just want to tell you.

01:06:53You got the competition rocking and reeling.

01:06:56I'm not telling you to take the low road.

01:06:59That's not what I'm telling you.

01:07:01There are creative ways to take advantage of that.

01:07:08That's what I'm passing along to you because, Tony, listen, you own the Jaguars.

01:07:13You own a soccer team.

01:07:15When your opponent is vulnerable, what do you do, man?

01:07:19You go for the Jaguars.

01:07:21You go deep.

01:07:21They're vulnerable, Tony.

01:07:23And what I'm telling you is I would never say, yeah, Tony, go in the dirt and take the low

01:07:28road.

01:07:28I'm telling you there are creative ways now where you can start winning over some of their fans.

01:07:36And I just hope you're open to thinking about those ways.

01:07:40Well, I know that a lot of those fans have a lot of respect for you, Vince.

01:07:44And you did some great things there, a lot of great things at a very instrumental time.

01:07:50So I hope that by coming here and having this great interaction with you that I've rubbed some of those

01:07:55people the right way, too.

01:07:57Oh, you definitely have.

01:07:58And I can tell you this.

01:07:59Two things we're going to get out of here.

01:08:00This is by far the highest live audience we've ever had.

01:08:05And in the chat, there's so many great remarks about you.

01:08:10And I just want to throw up a few and read them to you so you can hear them, Tony.

01:08:14Smartest Mark Alive.

01:08:15He's a guy, Tony, that started his podcast because of our podcast.

01:08:19And he says this.

01:08:20Tony, thank you for giving us, wrestling fans, another outlet with pro wrestling as the focus and not corporate greed.

01:08:27AEW has helped me in some of the lowest points in my life, providing an outlet of happiness and an

01:08:32escape to the stress of life.

01:08:36That's pretty cool, isn't it?

01:08:37That's really great to hear.

01:08:39Well, thank you, Smartest Mark Alive.

01:08:41I really appreciate that.

01:08:42I'm really glad that AEW has been able to help you.

01:08:46And like you, Smartest Mark Alive, I love pro wrestling.

01:08:49And this is what I'm talking about, guys.

01:08:51You know, this is somebody that has had great experiences with wrestling.

01:08:55It makes him feel better.

01:08:57And it's there for you every week.

01:08:59It's the one thing, pro wrestling, that will always be there for you every week.

01:09:04There's no offseason.

01:09:05We don't take a break from it.

01:09:07And you can always count on it.

01:09:09So I really appreciate when we hear that.

01:09:11And that's one of the reasons why I love doing wrestling every week.

01:09:14All right, well, we're just rolling through them right now as you're talking all these great messages to you.

01:09:20I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Tony Khan had bought the WWE.

01:09:23At least he cares about the wrestlers and the fans.

01:09:25That's a fact.

01:09:27I think, Tony, as we wrap this up, I said at the beginning, we wanted people to understand we don't

01:09:33dislike AEW.

01:09:34We love wrestling.

01:09:35And maybe there's a misconception, a little bit of you.

01:09:38And I think that we've done both of those things today.

01:09:41So thank you for the time.

01:09:43And you are welcome to come back and have another conversation.

01:09:45We'd love to do it again.

01:09:46I appreciate the invitation.

01:09:48I would love to come back.

01:09:49It's been really nice visiting with both of you.

01:09:51I very much enjoyed it.

01:09:53And thanks for having me on.

01:09:54And I'm sure I'll see you both again soon.

01:09:56And I want to wish you both good luck.

01:09:58I hope you both had a great Easter.

01:09:59And I hope I get to see you both again soon.

01:10:02I hope so, too.

01:10:03Thank you, Tony.

01:10:03Thanks for coming on.

01:10:04It was awesome.

01:10:04We appreciate it.

01:10:05Thanks, guys.

01:10:05That is one and only AEW president and CEO, Tony Khan.

01:10:10And as I told you, I appreciate all the super stickers.

01:10:13We're not going to go through all of them right now.

01:10:15I appreciate them.

01:10:16We do.

01:10:16But we have to get to something.

01:10:17But Vince, I want to get your reaction to a lot of time.

01:10:21An hour and 10 minutes.

01:10:23First things first.

01:10:24Yeah.

01:10:25You know, people listening to the show now, we got a big collective audience.

01:10:31Okay.

01:10:32Several times during the week, I get mostly text messages from coach.

01:10:39And I get scolded over multiple things.

01:10:44And I always walk away with my tail between my legs.

01:10:48You're right.

01:10:49You're right.

01:10:50It won't happen again.

01:10:51You're right.

01:10:52You're right.

01:10:52This goes on all week long.

01:10:54So I'm given a format today with questions because coach don't trust Vinny Rue.

01:11:05So coach is like, okay, Vince, here it is.

01:11:09Vince, this is a format.

01:11:11Vince, here's what we're going to do.

01:11:14Just so everybody knows, I'm following this format because I don't want to literally five minutes into this format.

01:11:30I'm looking at this.

01:11:32I'm like, wait a minute.

01:11:33This ain't on the format, coach.

01:11:35Wait, I'm looking through it.

01:11:37So don't ever, ever send me a format again if you're going to go into business.

01:11:44No, no, no.

01:11:45Two things.

01:11:47How dare you.

01:11:47Two things.

01:11:48First and foremost, I'm a trained interviewer.

01:11:52I know that.

01:11:52I literally took classes doing this.

01:11:55I know that.

01:11:56All right.

01:11:56So I'm, and I learned that number one most important thing is listening and sometimes you pivot your questions.

01:12:04That's number one.

01:12:05Number two, that rundown was for you.

01:12:09It was not for me.

01:12:11You got Vince, coach.

01:12:13Vince, coach.

01:12:13I know.

01:12:14I'm going by this and all of a sudden we're on question nine.

01:12:19Because I wanted to make sure and keep you.

01:12:23Was I good?

01:12:24Was I good, coach?

01:12:26Let me say this.

01:12:27Because we have over 5,000 people watching live right now.

01:12:30Oh, my God.

01:12:31That's crazy.

01:12:31Over 5,000.

01:12:32That's nuts.

01:12:33So here's where you were great.

01:12:34Is that I think, my takeaway is, Tony, is every bit as nice as people say that he is.

01:12:41I think that we got more out of him than anybody else ever has.

01:12:44And I think that with you giving your experience before the questions, that made him think a little bit.

01:12:52And I think he's going to go back and he's going to use some of your advice.

01:12:56So for that, I thought you were awesome.

01:12:59I thought you were awesome.

01:13:01I thought, and listen, Tony and his PR guy may still be listening and that's okay.

01:13:06I was, I'm going to be honest with you, coach.

01:13:09I was a little concerned at the beginning because I think at the beginning we started getting, you know, the

01:13:18Tony Khan answer interview.

01:13:21But I really, and this is why, coach, I mean, honestly, this is going to be Vince was kissing Tony

01:13:27Khan's ass.

01:13:29No, what Vince was trying to do was use humor to lighten Tony up, Tony like, and, and, and coach,

01:13:39I think if you look at the beginning of that interview, by the time we got to the end, we're

01:13:45having a conversation with the guy.

01:13:471000%.

01:13:48And that's why I kept going to these little different things to kind of get him out of, cause you,

01:13:55you gotta be coach.

01:13:56Let's call it what it is.

01:13:58He's probably done thousands of interviews with that response.

01:14:03He's got the set response.

01:14:05Oh, he does.

01:14:05He does.

01:14:06He's so used to doing that.

01:14:08And listen, this ain't a Tony Khan thing.

01:14:10This is anybody who goes through the media and has the thousand interviews after a while, bro.

01:14:14I got two interviews after this coach.

01:14:16I know what they're going to ask me and I know how I'm going to answer, but I think we

01:14:20will get now is a little concerned.

01:14:22And that's why I'm like, we gotta, we gotta loosen this guy up a little bit.

01:14:27And I think he was great.

01:14:28I mean, coach, even when you said we, we, we never heard that much about the meeting with Shane McMahon

01:14:33before.

01:14:34Not at all.

01:14:34I don't know if anybody's ever asked him about his bid for the, I don't know if anybody's ever asked

01:14:40him that.

01:14:41Right.

01:14:42Well, by that point, he respected us.

01:14:44I'm seeing the chat and the chat agrees with us.

01:14:47Producer man, throw a few of those up real quick.

01:14:49Cause the chat agrees that we got more out of you.

01:14:52You got to open up, which is rare.

01:14:53It's, and that's the thing about that.

01:14:55You guys need to understand in interviewing that if a person feels comfortable, but also you have a respect and

01:15:01he clearly respected us from what we've done in the business.

01:15:05And I'm not shading anybody else, Vince, but when you just have a regular person asking him questions, he's going

01:15:11to come and go.

01:15:12He's going to come and go and never think about that show or that person again.

01:15:17And I think with us, he started doing, wait a second.

01:15:19Not only are these guys, not what Meltzer said.

01:15:22And by the way, I take pride in that.

01:15:25I take pride in that.

01:15:26Why would you go on their show?

01:15:28How about having a show that people want to go on instead of sitting in front of a gray wall,

01:15:33but whatever.

01:15:34And I think he realized, wait a second, these guys aren't coming at me, but they're also not giving me

01:15:39fluff.

01:15:41We didn't give him fluff.

01:15:42We asked direct questions that people want to know.

01:15:44Yep.

01:15:44That's it.

01:15:45That's it.

01:15:46So, all right, we've got to end it.

01:15:48I apologize.

01:15:49Normally we read all the super stickers, but I told you before.

01:15:52Wait a minute, coach.

01:15:53We're not done with your format.

01:15:54Hold on.

01:15:55We got more things, coach.

01:15:57I told people we weren't taking super stickers today.

01:16:00So I got to go pick up my son.

01:16:01He's at school.

01:16:02I got to get him.

01:16:02He's got a big match today.

01:16:03Vince, this was awesome.

01:16:04Awesome, coach.

01:16:05Thank you.

01:16:06It was fun.

01:16:07It was awesome.

01:16:08It was great.

01:16:08And thank you guys.

01:16:10Amazing turnout, coach.

01:16:12Amazing.

01:16:13We need a part two.

01:16:14We'll make it happen.

01:16:15In six months or so, we'll make it happen.

01:16:17And also, if you guys missed any of it, if you came in a little bit late, you'll be able

01:16:20to watch it on demand.

01:16:21Also, a week from Thursday, we're going to have our show on Stadium, and the numbers there have been skyrocketing

01:16:27for this show.

01:16:28So we're going to cut up the interview and make the entire hour the Tony Khan, the best of Tony

01:16:33Khan, a week from Thursday.

01:16:35And I just got a text from a buddy of mine.

01:16:37He goes, that was awesome.

01:16:38Watch the whole thing.

01:16:40So pretty cool.

01:16:41Pretty cool.

01:16:42All right.

01:16:43Vince, enjoy those two boring-ass interviews you're getting ready to go to.

01:16:47Thank you, coach.

01:16:48Thank you, guys.

01:16:49Thank you, everybody.

01:16:50You know, on the bottom of my screen, you guys are the absolute best, man.

01:16:53Thank you.

01:16:54Thank you.

01:16:55Absolutely.

01:16:55That's going to do for us, for our man, Vinny Ruru, for Dirt Sheet Dan, for Mikey P, for Producer

01:17:01Man.

01:17:03This is why we started the brand, so we can get really good content out there to hopefully take this

01:17:10business forward just a little bit.

01:17:12We're going to be back Thursday morning.

01:17:14Until then, enjoy your pro wrestling.

01:17:17Enjoy NXT tonight.

01:17:19Hell, enjoy AEW Dynamite tomorrow and Dynasty coming up on Sunday.

01:17:23That's going to do it for now.

01:17:24There is only one, and we call it The Coach and Bro Show.

01:17:27Take care.

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