Steve Carrier on August 21, 2025
AEW President Tony Khan spoke to the wrestling media on Thursday, August 21, 2025, to promote Saturday’s AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view. Refresh for live updates.
Tony Khan opened the call by saying it was one of his favorite weekends of the year and then opened the phone lines. When Jon Alba asked about WWE running against AEW All Out on September 20, Khan said AEW would continue focusing on what they’ve been doing and noted that their television numbers are growing despite also being available on HBO Max.
Courtney Rice asked Tony Khan if he sees Alex Windsor becoming a top wrestler in the women’s division. Khan answered “absolutely” and praised her work, saying she’s been excellent and has “delivered time after time.” He added that he already views Windsor as a top star in AEW.
Andrew Baydala asked if Khan would ever consider a standalone home for AEW pay-per-views. Khan mentioned that he’s looking forward to HBO Max becoming an AEW pay-per-view provider.
Samantha Schipman asked if future Forbidden Door shows will feature more AEW vs. NJPW matches. Khan explained that moving the show until after the G1 Climax tournament caused changes, resulting in less participation from NJPW and Stardom. He said he was told most NJPW wrestlers would be unavailable until the week of the event.
He said NJPW has incredible talent, but television availability is important, and he expects future Forbidden Door events to happen before the G1 tournament and Stardom’s Grand Prix.
Khan also mentioned his interest in using Yota Tsuji. He revealed that he once envisioned Tsuji as a challenger for Swerve Strickland’s AEW World Championship, but the idea was pushed back because Swerve was still a new champion and many felt a more established opponent was needed. Khan said Will Ospreay approached him directly, suggesting himself as the challenger, and that’s the direction they decided to go.
Jaime Falcon asked Tony Khan about balancing relationships with multiple wrestling companies. Khan explained that AEW is the lead producer of Forbidden Door and said it was fine that much of the talent wasn’t available until the week of the show, adding, “We’re a team.” He recalled that the first Forbidden Door was one of the hardest projects he’s ever worked on because of injuries and illnesses that forced lineup changes. He also pointed out that NJPW was the lead producer for Wrestle Dynasty, where he sent AEW talent while he focused on producing television in the U.S.
Mike Johnson asked Khan about balancing international shows with U.S. events. Khan said AEW has fans everywhere and will continue to travel. He noted that some of the best reactions in company history have been overseas. He shared that Forbidden Door ranked in the top five for gate and tickets sold, and called Grand Slam Mexico one of AEW’s most successful shows ever. He praised fans in Glasgow, Scotland, for their energy at Dynamite and Collision, and said he’s excited for AEW to finally run the O2 Arena in London, an arena he’s attended many times as a fan.
Dominic DeAngelo asked Tony Khan about AEW’s upcoming residency at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and whether he plans to lean into the venue’s ECW history. Khan responded by saying Philadelphia has been home to many great promotions and memorable decades of wrestling. He shared that it was the first place he ever saw wrestling outside of his hometown arena in Champaign, Illinois, and admitted he hasn’t been back to the former ECW Arena in 29 years. Khan recalled meeting Mike Johnson and tape traders there, and he also praised last week’s ROH on HonorClub show.
Amy Nemmity asked Tony Khan about the steel cage match and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s involvement. Khan explained that he came up with the idea for a lights-out steel cage match and said the lineup is exactly what he envisioned. He added that he personally asked Tanahashi to be part of it, and Tanahashi agreed.
A write-in question brought up Bozilla. Khan said he really likes her and revealed she was his first choice to appear in AEW for this event. He explained that she only became available this week and shared that he’s excited to meet her and have her compete in AEW while representing Stardom.
Richard Breslin asked Tony Khan about the possibility of a sequel to the Fight Forever video game and whether AEW might use a different developer. Khan admitted he enjoys playing games but isn’t an expert, and said the company plans to create different games across various platforms.
Cam Hawkins brought up his interview with Swerve Strickland, leading to a question about AEW’s core being Swerve, MJF, Will Ospreay, and Hangman Page. Khan agreed it was a strong call by Swerve.
Brian Zilem asked about Khan’s growth as a leader. Khan said his love for wrestling drives him and that he feels fortunate to be in his position.
Khan ended the call by thanking the media and saying he appreciates the balanced feedback AEW receives.
August 21, 2025 2:55 pm
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