Tony Khan Confident AEW’s Residency Strategy Won’t Get Stale

AEW started a residency in Philadelphia last month and since then, each episode of Dynamite and Collision has been taking place at the 2300 Arena. While many wonder if things will get stale with the same crowd, Tony Khan doesn’t really see it that way.

While speaking on the Battleground podcast, Tony Khan explained that AEW chooses its residency cities carefully, picking places like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas–Fort Worth where the fans are always passionate and engaged.

Khan said he doesn’t worry about crowds going quiet or shows feeling stale in those markets because the fans there truly love wrestling and consistently bring energy to every event.

“Well, I think we’ve picked great cities for the residencies. Cities like Chicago and Philadelphia where you never worry about the fans quieting down—or like last year around Dallas in the Esports Stadium in Arlington. When you’ve got great markets like Dallas–Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Chicago, I don’t worry about that as much because I know there are great AEW fans there. I know they love wrestling in those cities, and they’re going to keep coming out and being loud and proud wrestling fans.”

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The AEW President stated that AEW never takes its audience for granted and focuses on delivering strong shows with great matches and rivalries every week. He believes 2025 has been AEW’s best year from start to finish, and if the company keeps up this pace, it will only get better moving into the future.

Khan also pointed out that the atmosphere created by fans, whether in massive venues like the O2 in London or in tightly packed crowds at residencies, has been a huge factor in AEW’s success. That energy translates really well on television and helps keep the product exciting.

“As long as we deliver great shows, I never take it for granted. We always have to put on great shows, great matches, and great rivalries—that’s what we’re doing in AEW. And I think AEW is having our best year yet, start to finish. If we keep this pace up, this will be our best year, and we’ll have so much to look forward to next year. A huge part of it has been these crowds supporting us week in and week out—whether it’s in a massive arena like the O2 in London or at these residencies where we’ve got tight, packed crowds. That energy really comes across on TV.”

Tony Khan’s confidence in the model shows that residencies could remain an important part of AEW’s long-term strategy. With 2025 already looking like the company’s strongest year so far, it’s clear we’ll see more residencies in the future.

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