Tony Khan wasn’t expecting to spend part of the AEW All Out media scrum talking about WWE’s backstage reaction to the show—but once the topic came up, he had a question of his own.
Asked about a report claiming WWE officials were surprised by how well All Out performed despite running Worlds Collide in the Chicago area the same weekend, Khan admitted he couldn’t understand why anyone inside WWE would be caught off guard.
“Is there anyone from Fightful here? Did WWE actually go on the record to Fightful today and say they were surprised we did so well? They said, ‘WWE sources’… I was curious about that.”
Khan said the reported reaction didn’t line up with what AEW has been doing all year. He pointed to the company’s recent momentum, reminding everyone that All Out wasn’t some unexpected success story.
“I was kinda surprised they would say that because we’ve done very well. AEW has been doing well. AEW’s having an incredible year. Why would they be surprised we sold out? We’ve sold this arena out many times, and WWE is having a great year.”
He then pushed back against the idea of anyone overlooking AEW, arguing that the company has repeatedly proven people wrong whenever it’s been counted out. So he made it clear he didn’t understand why WWE was surprised.
“I think anyone underestimating AEW is making a mistake, and AEW is continuing to defy the odds and succeed. If AEW has ever been on the mat, every time we got up and fought. So I was surprised when I read that WWE sources commented they were surprised themselves that AEW All Out performed very well. So I don’t know why anyone would underestimate AEW.”
The comments came after a Fightful Select reported that WWE chose months in advance not to air Worlds Collide live in an effort to impact AEW All Out ticket sales. According to that same report, people within WWE were still happy with Worlds Collide’s performance, while also acknowledging that All Out sold better than they had expected.
Whether Khan’s comments end the conversation is another story. With reports suggesting WWE could continue scheduling events around AEW pay-per-view weekends, this rivalry clearly isn’t cooling off anytime soon. If anything, Khan’s response made it sound like AEW is more than happy to keep answering in the ring—and at the box office.
What did you make of Tony Khan’s response? Do you think WWE underestimated AEW’s ability to sell out All Out, or was the report overblown? 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.
