Tony Khan Believes WWE–TNA Partnership Was Designed to Hurt AEW

Tony Khan isn’t losing sleep over WWE’s working relationship with TNA Wrestling—but he’s not blind to what’s really going on either.

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Khan was asked about Matt Hardy’s recent comments suggesting the WWE–TNA alliance was designed to undercut AEW. Rather than deny it, Khan leaned into the idea and actually gave Hardy props for saying it out loud.

“I don’t think it was malicious at all. I do agree with it, I think it’s probably true, and the fact that Matt said it is honestly really cool.”

Khan explained that the partnership itself makes sense if you look at wrestling history. Whenever WWE has had serious competition, they’ve been known to get friendly with other companies—something he says only confirms AEW’s presence as a true threat.

“I think it’s an interesting collaboration, and I think Matt hit the nail on the head that it makes sense. AEW is a very strong challenger brand, and it’s not that unusual. I absolutely take it as a compliment. So when there’s a strong challenger brand, it’s not unusual to see the WWF collaborate with another company. I don’t take it personally at all. It makes sense looking at the wrestling playbook.”

Rather than framing the WWE–TNA deal as a shot at AEW, Khan is flipping the script—calling it proof that AEW is shaking things up enough to force WWE’s hand.

Whether this is just smart business or a page out of an old-school wrestling playbook, one thing’s clear: AEW has made itself impossible to ignore.

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