Tony Khan On What It's Like When His Father Attends AEW Shows
Tony Khan had high hopes when he launched All Elite Wrestling. And he says AEW has been able to achieve many of the goals he set.
"I had really high expectations and I think we've lived up to them and exceeded them," Khan told the Culture State podcast.
Tony Khan says AEW reached new heights in 2021. And he's hoping to build on those successes in 2022.
"We've had so many great successes this year," Khan recalled. "We've hit high marks in attendance twice with Grand Slam and with The First Dance. So, great events that set our records in great markets, New York and Chicago. And those events were big landmarks – a record high for Rampage and a record high for attendance in both markets.
"For us to have such great growth in pay-per-view is really important too," Khan continued. "The four biggest pay-per-views we've ever done were the four pay-per-views this year. The quarterly pay-per-views really were such a huge success this year. And the two biggest pay-per-views we've ever done were the last two, so it's been a great year for AEW and I look forward to another great year."
Tony Khan admitted he doesn't have much time to savor the successes of AEW. But he did talk about how special it was for him to see his father, Shad Khan, attending shows over the past year.
"He loves coming," Tony Khan explained. "So that means a lot to me. So when I see him there enjoying it and how proud he is of how it's all gone, that makes me very happy. Especially then, I do get to enjoy it a little bit. But that being said, that's when I'm running around and chasing people and doing format changes and moving stuff around and coming up with ideas. So, I don't get to soak it in then as much as I'd like, but that makes me really happy."
Tony Khan's responsibilities extend beyond AEW. He's the Vice-Chairman, Director of Football Operations, General Manager, and Sporting Director for Fulham FC.
Khan is also Executive Vice President of Football Administration and Technology for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He says a recent hire is helping him manage his workload with the NFL franchise.
"I've hired Eugene Shen, who is a brilliant person working under me managing the day-to-day analytics," Khan said. "Doing a lot of the things I used to do and expanding on that work and building out strategy and analytics tools for the team. He's doing a great job with our organization."
"It's a lot of coffee and a lot of hard work," Khan concluded. "But I love it."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Culture State with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.