Tony Khan Addresses His 'Changing Competition' From WWE

There are many questions left to be answered now that Vince McMahon has retired from WWE and a new regime headed by Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and Triple H has taken over. Chief among them is how competitor AEW will handle a wrestling world where WWE may be a more enticing destination for wrestlers than previously thought.

AEW Owner, CEO, and General Manager Tony Khan addressed the changing landscape in an interview with SportsGrid and overall appeared upbeat about what a new WWE regime could mean for wrestling overall.

"It's going to change the competition, but I think that's a good thing," Khan said. "AEW's got a big fan base. We're on in 130 countries now around the world, and here in the US, we've built a great fanbase ... And the competition is going to change. It's a different person in the chair, opposite me, but I don't think that's going to be a bad thing for the wrestling fan necessarily."

Khan admitted that there was a possibility AEW could lose out on talent that seemed a sure thing for the promotion not too long ago. But keeping things positive, he stressed that wrestling free agency is a plus, not a negative.

"I think that's always been a concern, but now probably more so than ever, I imagine great wrestlers are going to be in demand," Khan said. "And again, I think this is probably going to be good for the wrestling fans because that's one of the most exciting things about pro wrestling: free agency. It's one of those things that was really missing from the sport for almost two decades before AEW came in, because there was not a legitimate competitor in the free agent market, and now there is. I think it's going to be some exciting times ahead, hopefully for many years to come.

"One of the worst things that happened, I think, in American sports in my lifetime was when WCW closed down. And there should always be another national wrestling company."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit SportsGrid and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription