Tony Khan says WWE might be running EVOLVE’s anniversary show up against their ‘Fight For The Fallen’ fundraiser event, but it’s not something he’s focused on. Khan participated in a post show media scrum following All Elite Wrestling’s Fyter Fest event this past weekend and was asked if there was any concern about WWE counter programming their show with the EVOLVE broadcast. Khan said their focus is on AEW and the positive contributions they can make in Jacksonville, and not with who is running against them in a crowded broadcast market.
“We just focus on our shows and what we’re doing. I’m really excited for Fight For The Fallen, because it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time since we first conceived All Elite Wrestling. I think it’s going to make a really positive contribution to my local community in Jacksonville, and if people want to come out that day we’re going to have a very good crowd. I also think a lot of people are going to watch it on TV, we’ll be taking donations and trying to help victims of local violence. I’m a huge wrestling fan and I won’t be able to watch that show because we have a lot of things going on of our own, and I think for a lot of people that’s probably unfortunate, but there’s only so many weekends, and you’ve got to do your shows when you’re doing them, so what can you do.”
Additionally, Khan was asked about keeping momentum after a Double Or Nothing show that was very well received. He stressed planning things ahead was going to be a key to their success, adding that running things last minute has happened before but it’s something AEW needs to stay ahead of.
“A lot of the pieces were in place. The first move after that was really to make sure that we had everything, all the ‘ducks in a row’ to do a series of shows through the summer and through television. We had already been working on those things and it’s really marching that path forward. I think that’s what we have to consistently be doing to make sure we can keep offering great shows, not just minute to minute and be a wrestling company where at the beginning of the show I’m telling Keith [Mitchell] what is going to happen later in the show which has happened in other wrestling companies before. It wouldn’t be the first time Keith’s been on a headset and he has no idea what’s going to happen on the show he’s producing.”
Khan said sometimes a live wrestling show presents some surprises and there’s something excited about that, but believes they generally do a good job of keeping the production team informed. He added that work on the next event began right after Double Or Nothing, and planning will keep them ahead of the curve.
“It’s the second show in a row and we’ve had a lot of fans in the building. Production wise, Keith did a great job and the wrestlers killed it, so we just have to keep doing that and it takes a lot of work to prepare to do that. The day after Double Or Nothing, everybody was notebooks out, pens out, making plans and we just have to keep doing that. Plan ahead so we’re not doing stuff at the last minute, trying to throw stuff together or trying to agree with [each other]. That’s no way to run any kind of business.”
