During the post-ROH Final Battle 2023 media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan commented on the “negative wrestling fans” who “constantly attack” his promotion and downplay its successes.
You can check out some highlights from the media scrum below:
On AEW being attacked online: “To be AEW is to be under constant attack. You do a great show and the next day somebody’s saying something negative. You do five great shows in a row, somebody says something negative. You break the ticket record for the most tickets ever sold for a wrestling show in the history of the world and somebody has something bad to say about it. At this point, I don’t worry about it. We just need to go out and do great shows week after week like we did. We were the number one show on cable this week on Wednesday. We beat every single show on TV on Wednesday out of hundreds and hundreds of shows across hundreds of networks. And if we continue doing it, everybody here’s going to be in a good position.”
On those who downplay AEW’s success: “You can have a great day in the business, like, do the number one show, and people try and tell you you didn’t do something great. Or you can break the world record for the most tickets ever sold to any wrestling show ever and have this massive, huge success on pay-per-view and just hit a home run in. The wrestling’s great and everything’s great, and still people are trying to tell you there’s some problem with it or some detrimental. I have news for you. When people the drop count of the show, when people posted, the number of people that go through the turnstiles, I’ve never heard of somebody posting a turnstile count, which is like, there’s so many ways to get into a show and there’s so many people I talked to that bought tickets that did not have to go through the turnstiles. But take that aside for a second. The turnstile count that is so normal for North American pro sports, even if it was 73 out of 81, that would be over the average of a show rate for North American pro sports. So if you take the average like the big four pro sports game in America versus like the tickets purchased, and then the people who actually go through the gate, if people talk like that was abnormal.”
On the pressure of his position as head of a wrestling company: “To be AEW, no matter how good you do, there will be people coming for you, gunning for you. Because that’s what this is. There’s a reason that every single person who stepped into my position until now has gone out of business. I’m the only one left. Everybody who stepped up and put millions of dollars into this and done it week after week, and there’s no offseason, you do it 52 weeks a year, it’s a fight. And that’s a credit to the fans. I know what it is to be a wrestling fan 52 weeks a year. It’s hard. But it’s also the most rewarding thing. That’s why you can’t get away from it for too long. That’s why we always come back to it. We’re addicted and it’s worth fighting.”
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In the world of professional wrestling, criticism and negativity are nothing new. Every promotion, no matter how successful, has its fair share of detractors. And All Elite Wrestling (AEW), led by President Tony Khan, is no exception.
During a recent media scrum following ROH Final Battle 2023, Tony Khan addressed the constant attacks and downplaying of AEW’s successes by what he referred to as “negative wrestling fans.” He expressed his frustration with the fact that no matter how well AEW performs, there will always be someone saying something negative about it.
Khan highlighted the achievements of AEW, such as breaking the ticket record for the most tickets ever sold for a wrestling show in history. He emphasized that even with such remarkable accomplishments, there are still people trying to find fault or downplay the success. However, he remains unfazed by the negativity and believes that as long as AEW continues to produce great shows week after week, everyone involved will be in a good position.
The AEW President also addressed the issue of people trying to undermine the company’s achievements. He mentioned that despite having a great day in the business or breaking world records for ticket sales, there will always be individuals who try to diminish those accomplishments. Khan pointed out that some critics focus on turnstile counts, which he believes is an outdated metric for measuring attendance. He explained that many people who purchased tickets may not have gone through the turnstiles, and even if the turnstile count was lower than expected, it would still be above average compared to North American pro sports shows.
Furthermore, Khan acknowledged the pressure that comes with being the head of a wrestling company. He recognized that no matter how well AEW performs, there will always be people gunning for them. He mentioned that previous wrestling companies have gone out of business, but AEW has managed to survive and thrive. Khan attributed this to the passion and dedication of the fans, acknowledging that being a wrestling fan year-round is challenging but also incredibly rewarding. He believes that the constant fight and addiction to wrestling make it worth the struggle.
In conclusion, Tony Khan’s comments during the media scrum shed light on the challenges AEW faces in dealing with negative fans and downplaying of their successes. Despite the constant attacks, Khan remains focused on delivering great shows and believes that AEW’s continued success will put everyone involved in a favorable position. The wrestling industry is a tough business, but Khan’s determination and the support of passionate fans keep AEW going strong.