All Elite Wrestling takes one other step towards increasing its international footprint by internet hosting Grand Slam Australia. The largest stars within the firm convey their abilities down underneath for a particular occasion to air on TNT and Max after the NBA All-Star recreation protection. It will function a homecoming of types for “Timeless” Toni Storm who challenges AEW Ladies’s World Champion Mariah Could. In the meantime, Aussie Kyle Fletcher groups with Konosuke Takeshita to battle Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay.
Head honcho Tony Khan, who signed one other TV cope with Warner Bros. Discovery, continues to take massive swings. He and the corporate face a difficult few months trying to construct an viewers and pleasure going into the massive All In: Texas stadium present on July 12. That’s simpler mentioned than achieved with a particularly aggressive market, however don’t inform Khan that. He stays steadfast within the perception in his imaginative and prescient and the roster.
Right here Khan speaks about what’s to come back, among the surprisingly soapy locations he finds inspiration and extra.
AEW has Grand Slam: Australia. What sort of challenges have you ever confronted logistically with this present?
Tony Khan: It’s my first time going to Australia. I’m actually enthusiastic about it. I’m excited to be taught extra concerning the followers, meet new individuals and have an important expertise. It’s one thing I look ahead to have AEW make its Australian debut in Brisbane for Saturday evening, Collision, Grand Slam: Australia. I feel it’s going to be an important occasion. We bought big matches, and I imagine will probably be one of many best Grand Slam playing cards in AEW’s historical past. It’s at all times one of many greatest occasions on the calendar. There are already some big matches with “Timeless” Toni Storm returning to battle her protégé “The Glamour” Mariah Could for the AEW Ladies’s World Championship in Toni’s house nation. It’s a return and a homecoming.
It’s an necessary chapter in certainly one of AEW’s best rivalries unfolding earlier than us now. The massive tag workforce match with Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay teaming for the primary time ever in AEW to tackle the AEW Worldwide Champion Konosuke Takeshita and “The ProtoStar” Kyle Fletcher, who’s returning to his house nation of Australia. This will likely be one of many greatest TV occasions of the 12 months. It will arguably the most important TV card of the 12 months.
The timing of it and it not being a pay-per-view. Was it at all times the plan as nicely?
Sure. Having this be a TV occasion has at all times been the plan. That’s one thing that the community wished. It’s one thing the community dropped at us lately as a chance to observe NBA All-Star Saturday. We noticed it as an enormous alternative. It was an important vote of confidence for our companions at Warner Brothers Discovery. It will likely be one of many greatest nights of the 12 months on TNT. It’s an important alternative given the lead-in.
What are you able to inform us by way of what AEW is engaged on with the community by way of synergy and the prefer to get the corporate on the market?
I count on AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery could have a robust partnership for a few years to come back. We’ve got an important relationship with administration there. Since 2019, we’ve been proud AEW has been part of the Turner Sports activities household. That is the best step in our partnership, the launch of AEW on Max. The simulcast has been an enormous success for everybody concerned. We’ve gotten an important viewers Wednesday nights on TBS and Saturday nights on TNT. Now these reveals are additionally streaming stay on Max. It has made AEW out there to a brand new viewers. We don’t have all of the numbers for the Max launch, however we’ve been advised that AEW is without doubt one of the high sports activities leagues for Max for viewership. That’s actually thrilling. It bodes nicely for the partnership for a few years to come back.
How would you describe the inventive dynamic between you and the way you soak up concepts and the way that’s funneled by? What’s your method in terms of collaborating and dealing with others together with expertise to convey storylines and characters to TV?
I like working with proficient individuals. I actually do benefit from the inventive collaboration. It’s a extremely thrilling time for AEW. We’ve been on a robust run of reveals. We kicked off 2025 with a really profitable debut on Max and had some nice reveals to launch this new period of simulcasting. I like professional wrestling a lot. I’m very targeted on the reveals every week. Seeing a few of our best stars return to the fold and including some very thrilling tales. There have been stars who’ve been there from the start and flourishing proper now. Particularly, the return of Kenny Omega. There was additionally Will Ospreay and Ricochet and plenty of others. I feel it’s an important mixture of a few of AEW’s best names ever. One of many nice issues about AEW is our wrestlers seizing a chance. I imagine AEW is the place the most effective wrestle. Once they latch on to one thing particular, it’s superb to see how far they’ll take it.
I’m very impressed by each a long-time star and former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and Ricochet, who’s a relative newcomer in AEW and arrived on an enormous stage at All In London. I supplied a brand new alternative for Ricochet in latest months and am so impressed how he has seized it. In November, once we introduced the Continental Traditional members and upcoming matches, I made a gap for Ricochet. What he did with it was very spectacular. I believed Ricochet had one of many strongest tales popping out of the Continental Traditional with Swerve Strickland. There are a lot of occasions it’s doable to create particular alternatives for wrestlers to thrive, however it’s actually a testomony to the wrestlers and their expertise once they seize these alternatives and rating massive. I like collaborating with expertise and giving them these alternatives and attempting to take the most effective concepts. My very own concepts or ideas that folks make alongside the way in which, both the workers or wrestler’s themselves and attempting to construct the most effective model of it.
“Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah Could have additionally been operating with the ball.
Certainly one of AEW’s in style characters and best champions “Timeless” Toni Storm is an instance of this. I’m an enormous fan of previous films. Two of my favourite previous movies I’ve seen many occasions are All About Eve and Sundown Boulevard. They’re two totally different films with a number of issues in widespread. They each characteristic larger-than-life actresses giving superb performances as larger-than-life actresses. The best way that Bette Davis carries herself as Margo Channing in All About Eve and the way in which that Gloria Swanson conducts herself as Norma Desmond in Sundown Boulevard. Completely totally different performances, however there are some widespread themes of those actresses in very totally different locations of their careers and lives. There are elements from each I drew inspiration from.
There are elements from the Toni and Mariah story that come from All About Eve. There are elements of the insanity of Toni Storm’ character from Sundown Boulevard proper right down to her butler Luther. I got here in with a imaginative and prescient for a brand new character, however it’s a imaginative and prescient and concepts. It can by no means make it off the web page on a display screen and not using a transcendent expertise like “Timeless” Toni Storm. Margo Channing by no means bought to get her fingers on Eve. They by no means had the knockdown, drag out battle. Toni Storm and Mariah Could had a implausible match at AEW All In London in England, Mariah Could’s house nation. Now we get the rematch in Australia, Toni Storm’s house nation. I like working with Toni and Mariah. Mariah stepped into her portrayal of pretending to be an individual she isn’t utilizing manipulation, flattery, deception to steal the spot of “Timeless” Toni Storm. She has pulled it off. Improbable. They’re each implausible.
What’s in your watch queue now?
I lately watched the Dune movies on Max. I believed they had been completely implausible. I had by no means seen Dune or learn the books. Now I’m to be taught extra about it and browse the books. I believed the films had been each implausible. I’m now beginning to watch the Dune: Prophecy TV present. I’m excited to look at that on Max, my favourite place to look at TV. It’s such a blessing to have AEW on the streaming service too.
AEW
How do you suppose Timothée Chalamet would do in professional wrestling?
That’s a captivating query. That man is at all times shocking individuals. He went on ESPN School GameDay to speak about soccer. Earlier than his look, quite a lot of the soccer followers I do know had been questioning if he could be the proper host for ESPN School GameDay and questioning experience on school soccer. He had nice insights and was a really educated and entertaining soccer host who had some very attention-grabbing factors concerning the upcoming video games that day. I feel he impressed quite a lot of soccer followers then. I might think about if he was masking wrestling or speaking about wrestling, he would most likely do an important job. From what I’ve seen he does an important job with what he does. He’s extremely proficient. Actually spectacular. So, I might think about he would do very nicely within the ring like every part he does.
You made it some extent to safe unique music in your reveals. What’s in your playlist?
We had been in a position to safe a few of my favourite songs lately in AEW. “Welcome to the Jungle” was the theme of AEW Worlds Finish. “November Rain” was the theme for AEW Full Gear. We’ve had an important collaboration lately with Weapons N’ Roses, certainly one of my favourite bands ever. I used to be actually enthusiastic about these alternative to have Weapons N’ Roses heard in AEW.
What’s your go-to responsible pleasure present?
I went again and watched each episode of the unique Dynasty just a few years in the past with Joan Collins and John Forsythe. It’s super. What an important present. It’s undoubtedly one thing of a responsible pleasure. I consider the unique Dynasty, Melrose Place. You don’t should get me on the Seinfeld polygraph to get me to confess I watch Melrose Place. I’ll admit it. I feel the unique Beverly Hills, 90210 is a superb present. The final word TV present responsible pleasure for me is the unique Eighties Dynasty.
We want a Dynasty forged member at Dynasty. It solely is sensible.
It’s true. Joan Collins is lengthy overdue to make her AEW debut. That may be super. Or to see her go to Japan for Wrestle Dynasty. That’s the place inspiration for the present names got here from.
Actually?!
That’s the place each names got here from. Dynasty and Wrestle Dynasty. You probably did get some information out of me.
What’s your go-to meal on the highway?
My customary meal on the highway is medium uncommon steak and steamed broccoli. I eat that a few occasions every week on the highway, normally the evening of Dynamite and Collision. That’s what I’ll eat.
What’s the one factor you possibly can’t go away the home with out if you’re touring to locations like Australia that may shock individuals?
After I go away the home for wrestling or soccer, I have a e book. It’s like a ledger with quite a lot of notes and concepts that I’ve stored and tracked. Throughout NFL, Premier League and AEW. Each time I’m happening a visit for soccer or wrestling, I attempt to take that e book with me. If I don’t, I’ll take notes individually some place else and put them again within the e book
AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8/7c, TBS
AEW Collision, Saturdays, 8/7c, TNT
AEW Grand Slam: Australia, February 15, Instantly Following NBA All-Star Sport Protection, TNT
