Tony Khan Explains Decision To Create AEW All-Atlantic Championship
With AEW set to introduce their sixth active title, the All-Atlantic Championship, many fans have expressed that there's an overkill of championship gold in the promotion. In a recent interview with ComicBook, AEW President Tony Khan justified the reasoning for the new title, which, as the introductory video noted last week, will represent the AEW fans watching in over 130 countries.
"...So for the international fans and for the international wrestlers on the roster, I felt like it would create more opportunities," Khan stressed. "But I also don't think this title or these opportunities are exclusive to the international wrestlers. But it's a big benefit of the term."
On tonight's "Dynamite: Road Rager," Canada's Ethan Page will wrestle Bulgaria's Miro in another qualifying match with the winner joining PAC and two other men in a 4-Way Match at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view on June 26. The winner of that 4-Way bout will be crowned the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion.
Besides the six active titles, AEW programming has also featured the unrecognized FTW Championship, the Owen Hart Cup Tournament Championships (which Khan confirmed won't be defended like regular titles), and titles from Ring of Honor. Other titles from IMPACT Wrestling, NWA, Lucha Libre AAA, and NJPW have also been defended on AEW TV previously. When asked if the abundance of championship gold was diluting the AEW product, Khan revealed that certain title matches will be featured on YouTube shows "Dark" and "Dark: Elevation" at some point in the future. He also remains hopeful that ROH's titles will be featured on ROH's own shows once a weekly TV deal is secured.
"The Ring of Honor Championships right now have primarily been defended in recent months in AEW, all across our shows," Khan said. "And I think it has benefited, for example, on AEW Dark and Elevation. First of all, on AEW Dynamite and Rampage, we've seen Samoa Joe defend the Ring of Honor World Television title. With Battle of the Belts, we've seen Jonathan Gresham defend the Ring of Honor World Championship. And then recently on Dark and Elevation, we've had Wheeler Yuta defending the Pure title and Mercedes Martinez defending the Women's World title. Fans have asked in the past, 'Hey, would there be champions on Dark and Elevation?' Now we have had some good championship matches and I think there will still be some to come in the future across AEW shows."
"But also I look forward to hopefully getting the Ring of Honor weekly TV back," Tony Khan added. "And restarted under our management and hopefully, the best TV we could possibly do, and on a great outlet. And that's something we're still working on. And I think when there's a weekly home for Ring of Honor, then there will be that much more programming where these championships can live."