All Elite Wrestling’s Dynasty is live on pay-per-view from St. Louis Sunday night, but before all that, AEW has Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision…and a quick stop for owner Tony Khan to chat with Chris Russell and Doc Walker on Tuesday!
“This is an amazing week for me and for AEW. It starts tomorrow night with Dynamite on TBS, and this one is going to be huge,” Khan said. “This whole week we have huge moments leading up to Dynasty. It’s especially busy with the NFL Draft coming up next week, and I’m so excited for what going on with the Jags – and excited for you guys up there with the Commanders, too.”
Next week will be an interesting one for Khan, as all AEW shows will be in Jacksonville, with NFL Films sending a camera crew to document how he’ll go back and forth from Dynamite to draft prep for the Jaguars to Collision on Saturday night – and perhaps Doc Walker’s 91-year-old mom, who loves watching wrestling, will have it on?
“It’s amazing your mom did that and still watches wrestling, and I love that. I love pro wrestling, and what started it for me is seeing Sgt. Slaughter on GI Joe and Hulk Hogan on the A-Team,” Khan said. “I realized they were wrestlers and started waching at age seven, and by age 12 I was trading tapes on the internet and never looked back. We launched AEW at the Jaguars facility five years ago, and it’s crazy how much we’ve grown.”
Doc, for one, is blown away by knowing how much goes into behind the scenes to make these shows start – shows that all began in DC with the first episode of Dynamite in October 2019 right here at Capital One Arena.
“We have a team of dozens and dozens in production and post-production, graphics, medical staff – it takes a huge team, and they are some of the best in sports,” Khan said. “We are on the road 52 weeks a year, there is no off-season, and I love it. Even in the pandemic we did live shows every week in Jacksonville, but Dynamite started there in DC at Capital One Arena, and I will always associate DC with the beginning of AEW. It’s an important part of our journey, and means a lot to AEW.”
Spoiler alert: noted herbal enthusiast Rob Van Dam will be on Collision this Saturday to celebrate 4/20 ahead of Dynasty on Sunday, and that’s just one of the huge stars you’ll be seeing this weekend thanks to Khan’s efforts in growing AEW.
“For AEW, I’ve benefitted from my experience in the NFL and Premier League, where I’m the GM of Fulham. We’ve had a lot of big signings, and I’ve learned from all those ups and downs about the mindset it takes to recruit the best talent,” Khan said. “One of the most important things to me personally and professionally is personal relationships; money and business are important, but trust, honesty, and wanting to go to work are also really important. We have this great roster and amazing fans, and all of it makes this a great place to work.”
Among those downs, though, one big one Rooster had to mention: Khan’s decision to show the backstage video of the now-infamous in wrestling circles altercation backstage at last summer’s All In event in London between CM Punk and Jack Perry, which led to Punk being released and heading back to WWE and Perry taking an AEW sabbatical to appear with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“I think it made a lot of sense. First of all, we have a Young Bucks-FTR ladder match at Dynasty for the AEW Tag Team Titles, and this is Chapter 4 between them. I believe they are the two best tag teams on the planet, and the last time they wrestled was at All In,” Khan said. “A lot happned that day, and at one point, it looked like they may have to wrestle the first match (scheduled to be, and indeed, Punk vs. Samoa Joe). The Bucks said what happened affected their mental preparation, and they blame FTR and what happened at Wembley for losing, and that’s why they refused to shake hands in front of the biggest paid crowd in wrestling history. We’ve seen the Bucks change a lot and get really dark and twisted, and that’s why they felt they should play the tape. And, it’s interesting to see the reaction Jack Perry got at NJPW this week – he got the reaction of a superstar. It all leaves a lot of intrigue going into this week.”