Tony Khan doesn’t seem interested in turning AEW into a company that runs house shows every other night, and there’s a pretty simple reason why. The AEW President says keeping the schedule lighter is actually part of the company’s business plan, especially when it comes to protecting wrestlers who are already putting their bodies through hard-hitting matches on television.
Speaking during the post-AEW WrestleDream media scrum, Khan was asked about the future of AEW house shows and why the company doesn’t run them more frequently. He pointed out that AEW has experimented with a handful of non-televised events throughout 2026, including House Rules in Australia and Brawl in the Ballpark in Minnesota.
“We’ve done a few this year. We did House Rules in Australia after Grand Slam back in February. Then we did the Brawl in the Ballpark at the Minnesota Twins this summer.”
Rather than putting house shows on the calendar simply for the sake of having them, Khan said AEW tries to pick situations where the events actually serve a purpose. That includes giving wrestlers additional reps, showcasing younger talent and creating content the company could potentially use later.
“We had a few of them, and I think we picked out spots to make the most of them — to get reps, to feature young wrestlers, and record content for future use. And also trying to make the most of it, to do events that are economical and logical and that are going to deliver a quality AEW product.”
Khan also doesn’t want AEW’s name attached to a stripped-down live event that doesn’t feel up to the company’s usual standards. Whether it’s a house show, Dynamite, Collision or a pay-per-view, he believes fans should still feel like they’re getting a legitimate AEW experience.
“So if I put the AEW name on it, I want it to be a really, really good experience. People have high expectations. Whether it’s Dynamite, Collision, or a pay-per-view, I take a lot of pride in it. So when we do house shows, I try to make sure to make them really good and deliver a strong product.”
There’s another major reason AEW isn’t filling every open date with house shows, and that’s the physical toll on its roster. Khan pointed to the style of matches AEW wrestlers regularly have on television and said there is value in not asking them to wrestle dozens of additional live events every month.
“We’ve done dozens of really good TV shows apart from the house shows — to deliver the best live event experience with big stars and great AEW action that fans expect, and to make sure we protect our wrestlers. I think, given the kind of hard-hitting matches we do on TV, there’s also something to be said for not having dozens of house shows every month so wrestlers can have hard-hitting matches on TV.”
That doesn’t mean house shows are disappearing completely. Khan simply wants them used selectively instead of becoming another demanding touring schedule for the roster.
“When we do house shows, I don’t want to put too much on the calendar, and that’s in the business plan of AEW. For me, it means having a wrestling company where we do this every week on TV, have a deep roster, but also don’t have dozens of house shows so we keep our wrestlers healthy.”
So fans can probably expect AEW house shows to remain more of an occasional attraction than a regular part of the weekly schedule. Khan clearly sees some value in running them, but not enough to sacrifice wrestler recovery or pile extra dates onto an already physical television schedule.
Do you think AEW should run more house shows, or does Tony Khan have the right idea by keeping the schedule limited? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
