Tony Khan has been selling the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger like it could be a huge win for AEW, but one part of his pitch is now getting picked apart. Nick LoPiccolo says Khan’s talk about Warner Bros. Discovery’s “top people” being around AEW may sound a lot bigger than what was actually happening backstage.
The timing makes this especially interesting. Khan recently celebrated another major step forward in the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger after Paramount reached a settlement with California and other states that had been fighting the massive deal.
During his September 23 stream, Khan once again made it clear that he sees the merger as good news for AEW. He even pointed out that Warner Bros. Discovery personnel were around Dynamite while talking about how close he believes the companies are to coming together.
“I’ve made it no secret dozens and dozens of times I’ve gone on the record and said I look forward to a time when, hopefully, it will be Paramount and Warner Bros. together. I think it will make AEW stronger, I’ve said it time and again, and I believe we are very close to that time. Speaking of Warner Brothers, they’re here tonight for Wednesday Night Dynamite.”
That sounds pretty damn significant on the surface. The problem is LoPiccolo thinks fans may be reading a lot more into “Warner Brothers, they’re here tonight” than Khan’s actual comments support.
While speaking with Pro Wrestle Times, LoPiccolo zeroed in on Khan repeatedly mentioning AEW Advance. That project is tied to Warner Bros. Discovery and its social-media operation, which immediately gave LoPiccolo another explanation for exactly who those WBD people may have been. LoPiccolo made it clear that he wasn’t accusing Khan of simply making the whole thing up. His point was that Warner Bros. Discovery people being around AEW does not automatically mean the executives controlling AEW’s television future were walking around backstage.
“No, I mean, it’s — I don’t think he’s making it up. He just told you at the beginning of this that he — what’s he called it? Advance. AEW Advance, which is that — that’s their TikTok thing, I think. So he’s not lying. He said that he’s going to be on AEW Advance. AEW Advance is produced by Warner Brothers Discovery.”
Then LoPiccolo went straight at the “top people” part of Khan’s presentation. In his view, those top people could simply have been the people running or producing AEW Advance rather than executives sitting there deciding whether Dynamite gets another giant media-rights deal.
“There’s Warner Brothers Discovery’s top people are here tonight. Top people for what? The top people that do the production for TikTok. But he isn’t — that’s what he’s saying. That’s what he’s saying. That’s what he’s saying without saying it.”
That alone changes the entire vibe around the comment. Saying WBD’s “top people” were around Dynamite sounds like corporate power players had descended on AEW, but LoPiccolo believes Khan may have simply been referring to Warner Bros. Discovery personnel working on a social-media production.
LoPiccolo then turned up the heat by questioning how much power senior Warner Bros. Discovery executives even have right now with Paramount trying to take control of the company. According to him, the people currently sitting in those positions have been operating with limited long-term authority for quite some time.
“Because, like, you also — from a standpoint of what executives, none of these executives at Warner Brothers Discovery have, if they’re actual programming or senior executives, have any decision-making power whatsoever. They haven’t for a year. They’ve been a lame duck.”
That’s where LoPiccolo’s argument really lands. Even if actual Warner Bros. Discovery executives were backstage, he doesn’t believe their presence automatically means AEW’s future was being decided in the building that night.
LoPiccolo circled right back to AEW Advance and said the simplest explanation may be the obvious one. In his view, the WBD employees Khan was talking about were probably the people involved with producing the TikTok-centered project.
“So, okay, there’s executives that work under a large company called Discovery. You’re not lying. They’re probably the TikTok people. That’s probably what he’s saying.”
That puts a very different spin on Khan’s recent victory lap. When Khan said the Paramount-WBD merger would make AEW stronger, he painted the situation like AEW is positioned perfectly for whatever comes next. Khan has also been heaping praise on Paramount CEO David Ellison. He described Ellison as someone who loves professional wrestling and sports, while pointing to their previous NFL connections as another reason AEW fans should feel good about the future.
“What a fantastic announcement for AEW and our fans to have the leadership of the great David Ellison coming in. I’ve said it time and time again. This is somebody who loves professional wrestling, and loves sports. It’s somebody who I’ve worked with in the National Football League, whether it’s NFL Films or now CBS and the great partnership with the NFL. This is a great TV producer, a great film producer, and somebody who I think is gonna be a great leader for Warner Bros. just like he is now for Paramount.”
Khan finished his original comments by telling AEW fans they should be excited about where the media world is heading. He clearly sees the Paramount-WBD deal as something that could put AEW in a better position once all the corporate dust settles.
“I’m excited about what is happening in the world of media, and you should be too if you’re an AEW fan because, ladies and gentlemen, this is a great time for us.”
The merger still has to actually get over the finish line, and AEW’s long-term media situation is still the real question hanging over all of this. Khan is selling confidence, but LoPiccolo’s explanation makes one thing clear — seeing WBD people backstage is not necessarily the same thing as seeing the people who will decide AEW’s future sitting there with contracts in their hands.
For now, Khan keeps talking like AEW is in a great spot while the entire Warner Bros. Discovery power structure is preparing for a massive change. If LoPiccolo is right about those “top people” simply being tied to AEW Advance, then one of Khan’s biggest-sounding talking points suddenly looks a whole lot less dramatic.
What do you think Tony Khan meant when he said Warner Bros. Discovery’s people were at Dynamite? Do you think he was talking about major decision-makers or the AEW Advance production crew? Let us know what you think 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.
