It's never particularly easy to get much sense out of AEW President Tony Khan, but in a recent interview with Scott Johnson, he finally addressed the company's future on television.
While shows like AEW Dynamite and AEW Colission have had a home on Warner Bros. Discovery-owned networks like TNT and TBS since launching, we've heard rumblings that could change now WWE has entered the mix with the very much up for grabs RAW.
There's a chance WBD will choose to acquire that show in place of AEW's offerings, largely because WWE has a much larger fanbase and would cause fewer issues for advertisers than AEW has (we all remember the pizza cutter incident, right?).
Here's what Khan said about AEW's future on TV and the rumours that WBD has been in talks with WWE:
"I think by the end of 2024, we're going to know the long term home for AEW going forward. And we're looking at now it's been over four years going on five years since we launched on TNT and then TBS, and we do now five hours of TV every Wednesday on TBS, and every Friday and Saturday on TNT. And it's a great question, because I think it affects the entire pro wrestling ecosystem. And it's something we're going to be following very closely."
"And I can't really say anything, except that Warner Brothers Discovery have been great partners, and will continue to be great partners through 2024. And very excited to have another great year there. And it's certainly going to be a very exciting contract year for AEW and all of the exciting possibilities. And there's a lot to look forward to in this year. It's a big year 2024 for so many reasons."
"Scott, it's part of sports. I mean, I think everybody discusses contracts and free agency and things of that nature. You know, I think everybody's aware that everybody's going to be talking to everybody in media this coming year. So there'll be certainly a lot of opportunities. And I think, you know, we've had a great history with Warner Brothers Discovery [and] continued to produce great ratings. So I think we'll be in a very good position next year."
It sure does sound like the clock is ticking for AEW on those networks, eh?
Only time will tell on that front, there's also a lot of chatter surrounding what comes next for MJF. Some believe he's already signed a new deal with AEW and will return to the company once his shoulder heals up. Others, meanwhile, are convinced he's WWE-bound. For now, Khan is giving nothing away.
"I can say that MJF certainly has been a great part of AEW for the first five years. And through those five years, certainly, he's been one of our great homegrown stars...and he's somebody we really value and I would love to have MJF in AEW in the future, should the contractual situation allow. Certainly MJF is somebody we would love to have an AEW going forward. And he's been a great wrestler and a great champion for us."
If you want to try and make sense of Tony's thoughts on the wrestling business, you can check out the full interview in the player below.