Tony Khan may be feeling pretty good about AEW’s future under Skydance, but that doesn’t mean the company is out of the woods just yet. Despite all the positive talk surrounding AEW’s relationship with David Ellison, Dave Meltzer is warning that nobody actually knows what the new ownership will decide to do with the wrestling promotion.
Following AEW WrestleDream on October 17, 2026, Khan confirmed that he’s had several conversations with David Ellison about AEW’s future. Khan made those discussions sound very encouraging, saying Ellison was excited about working with AEW and that the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger could open up new opportunities.
However, during the October 18 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet. He acknowledged that Khan has good relationships with important executives, including Ellison, but made it clear that friendly conversations don’t guarantee anything once the new company starts making business decisions.
“So, he’s got. Besides Ellison, he’s got some key people that in the past have been very favorable to him. You know, he’s, he’s acting very happy. I mean, like, you know, we’ll know when we know. I don’t, I, I don’t say it’s all scot free. He’s talking like it is. I, you know, I mean, you know, put this way, I think that we all should be smart enough to know that we don’t know. And Tony doesn’t either.”
Meltzer wasn’t suggesting that AEW is about to lose its television home. In fact, he believes the company is safe for the immediate future and doesn’t expect its programming to suddenly disappear from TBS or TNT. The bigger question is what happens once Ellison and his team start deciding which programming deals they want to keep.
“But he’s had the conversations and I have no doubt that the conversations have gone great because they’re still there. They’re still going to be there for, you know, a year and a couple of months at worst. I don’t see them cutting them, you know, or taking them off TBS and TNT.”
The problem is that AEW isn’t the only property the new ownership has to consider. Meltzer pointed out that Skydance will eventually have to make difficult financial decisions, and AEW will be competing with major sports properties for a place in the company’s budget.
He also noted that AEW’s television ratings look stronger under the newer 25-54 demographic measurement, which could work in the promotion’s favor. Even with that advantage, Meltzer said there’s no guarantee that the numbers will be enough.
“If the numbers keep going the way they are, it’s a best case scenario for them. It’s still not, nothing’s a guarantee because they’re gonna have to make some, you know, you know, Ellison and, and his crew are going to make some hard decisions to cut something.”
Meltzer brought up the NCAA basketball tournament and NHL as examples of major sports programming that he doesn’t expect the company to simply walk away from. AEW might have some advantages when it comes to ratings and costs, but that doesn’t mean its position is untouchable.
“They’re not going to cut, you know, the NCAA basketball tournament. It’s, they’re not going to cut. I don’t think they’re going to be cutting the NHL.”
Meltzer then warned against anyone claiming to know exactly how the situation will play out. He suggested that the next few months could provide a much clearer picture once executives begin making decisions about the company’s future.
“Eventually someone’s going to make the hard decisions. I don’t know what they are. It’s, it’s up in the air and anything that you hear from anyone, probably for the next, I don’t know, short period of time, I think you should throw out the window in, in three, four months if you start hearing stuff from reliable people, you know, then, then you gotta listen. But right now I just say that anyone who says that they know they’re full of.”
This isn’t the first time questions have been raised about AEW’s position under the new corporate structure. Ringside News previously examined the uncertainty surrounding AEW’s potential Paramount future, including questions about the company’s current television agreement and whether its option year will be picked up.
Still, Meltzer wasn’t dismissing Khan’s optimism entirely. He pointed out that AEW is having a strong year financially, with Khan touting record revenue and pay-per-view business. The promotion also continues to draw a substantial television audience despite TBS and TNT reaching fewer households than they once did.
“He thinks it’s going to be a good thing. He’s got a good rapport with these people. He may very well be right.”
That lines up with Khan’s recent claims about AEW’s record pay-per-view business in 2026. The company clearly has reasons to be optimistic, but whether those numbers impress the people making the final decisions remains to be seen.
For now, Khan is selling the Skydance deal as a major win for AEW, and Meltzer isn’t saying he’s wrong. He’s just making it clear that positive meetings and record business don’t automatically secure a television deal. AEW may be in a good spot today, but the people controlling its long-term future still have some major decisions to make.
Do you think Tony Khan has reason to be this confident about AEW’s future under Skydance, or is Meltzer right that the company shouldn’t celebrate until its television future is secured? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
