Tony Khan loves the chaos of AEW Forbidden Door, but that does not mean putting the show together is easy.
While speaking to Q93 Alexandria, Khan was asked about the biggest challenge of coordinating a massive cross-promotional event like Forbidden Door. The AEW boss made it clear there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than just picking dream matches and putting them on a poster. Khan said the first major issue is logistics, especially when it comes to international talent and work visas.
“Well, that’s a great question. There are a lot of logistics and of course securing the visas. Sometimes there can be a great international wrestler that doesn’t have the work visa, and you want to try to get those people in.”
Khan also explained that working with other wrestling companies means balancing what AEW wants with what those promotions want for their own stars. Even with all those moving parts, Khan said he still enjoys working with other promoters because it allows AEW to bring in top wrestlers from around the world.
“And then you’re working with the other promoters to try to utilize the stars they want to use, and you might have different ideas from your counterparts in these other companies.”
“So, for Forbidden Door, I love working with other wrestling companies and other promoters. And especially I love bringing in lots of the best wrestlers in the world.”
Khan said that international mix is what makes Forbidden Door stand out. He also pushed Dynamite as a free preview of what fans can expect before the pay-per-view.
“And that’s what’s so fun about this event, the Forbidden Door. And that’s what makes this week so fun. And again, you’ll get a free preview of the action just hours from now on Wednesday night Dynamite added to the pay-per-view to see what it’s like when so many of the top wrestlers from all over the world, top stars from countries including Mexico and Japan come into AEW and compete against the top AEW wrestlers.”
Forbidden Door may look like a fantasy-booking playground to fans, but Khan made it clear that the show comes with a ton of red tape. Between visas, promoter politics, and trying to make everyone happy, AEW has to fight a battle before the bell even rings.
Do you think AEW Forbidden Door is worth all the backstage headaches, or should AEW scale back on cross-promotional shows? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.
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