AEW’s earlier pay-per-view start time wasn’t just a one-night experiment—it was a deliberate move by Tony Khan.
After fans noticed Redemption kicked off an hour earlier than usual, Khan has now revealed exactly why he made the change, admitting his biggest goal was making sure the show didn’t drag past midnight on the East Coast. Considering AEW’s marathon pay-per-views have become a frequent talking point among fans, it doesn’t sound like the earlier finish was a coincidence.
Speaking with ROAR Around The Ring, Khan explained that he wanted Redemption to wrap up at a more reasonable hour without sacrificing what fans expect from an AEW pay-per-view.
“My goal for the last one was if I start an hour earlier, I’m 100% sure I’ll be done before midnight eastern and I was. So, I thought that was great. If we’re done before midnight eastern, if we’re 9PM on the west coast, I think that’s great.”
The comments come just days after a backstage report suggested plenty of people inside AEW are hoping the company doesn’t go back to its old schedule. According to Fightful Select, a number of wrestlers are already pushing for the earlier start time to become the new normal after seeing how Redemption played out.
For years, AEW pay-per-views have been praised for delivering loaded match cards, but they’ve also earned a reputation for running late into Sunday night. Shows regularly stretch toward—or even beyond—midnight on the East Coast, leaving fans, wrestlers and production crews facing some very long nights. Redemption broke that pattern.
The Buy In started at 6 p.m. ET, the main card followed at 7 p.m. ET and, just as Khan had hoped, the event wrapped up before midnight. Whether that becomes AEW’s permanent formula remains to be seen, but Khan’s explanation makes one thing clear: the earlier bell time wasn’t random. It was exactly what he wanted.
Would you like AEW to keep its earlier pay-per-view start time, or should the company stick with its traditional schedule? Let us know in the comments below.
