One of the biggest criticisms AEW has faced over the years is that the company has too many championships. Tony Khan doesn’t see it that way.
While appearing on Fightful Overbooked, Khan was asked whether AEW has gone overboard with the number of titles and champion-versus-champion matches. Instead of agreeing, he argued that AEW is following a formula that worked for WCW, where secondary champions were treated as legitimate threats to the world title while continuing to elevate their own championships.
“Well, I think it’s great when I, you know, you’re doing WCW. One thing that’s great, to your point, is that in WCW, the United States Champion and the Television Champion regularly were top contenders and they defended their championships often on television, but there were frequently times where the U.S. champion or the TV champion was in line to be the top contender.”
Khan believes that’s exactly how championships should function. Rather than existing below the world title, he says secondary belts give wrestlers meaningful accomplishments while keeping them in the mix for the company’s biggest prize.
“And I think that’s great and it makes a lot of sense and they have obligations and it makes those championships very prestigious.”
He also rejected the idea that titles like the TNT, International, Continental and National Championships are somehow less important, saying each one represents a major achievement for the wrestlers who hold them.
“Some people hold those championships and are fantastic with those championships. I think it’s a huge accomplishment to be the TNT Champion, to be the International Champion, to be the Continental Champion or the National Champion. I think that’s fantastic.”
To back up his point, Khan pointed to Darby Allin, who established himself as one of AEW’s top stars during his TNT Championship reign before eventually reaching the top of the card as World Champion.
“When Darby Allin was the TNT Champion, I thought he was amazing as the TNT Champion. He’s fantastic as the World Champion too, but I appreciated him very much as the TNT Champion.”
Khan also used current TNT Champion Kevin Knight as an example of the philosophy still being applied today. Rather than rushing straight into the world title picture, Khan noted that Knight has continued defending his championship while positioning himself as a credible challenger higher up the card.
“There are people that have held titles and then challenged for the World Title. I also think that they have defended their championships. Whether it’s on television or on pay-per-view, I think you look at a challenger for the World Title like Kevin Knight. Kevin Knight this week has a chance to tie and then break potentially in one week the record for the most TNT Title defenses ever.”
For Khan, the number of championships isn’t the issue. As long as every title has a purpose, is defended regularly and helps build future world title contenders, he believes each belt strengthens AEW rather than overcrowding it.
Do you think AEW has too many championships, or do you agree with Tony Khan that every title has an important role? Let us know in the comments below.
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