Tony Khan loves working with the talented wrestlers behind the scenes in AEW with their ongoing storylines.
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan recently sat down with Scott Fishman of TV Insider. When asked about the current creative dynamic in the company and how he collaborates with the talent on the roster, Khan said he loves working with talented people and enjoys the creative collaboration that takes place backstage in AEW.
“I love working with talented people. I really do enjoy the creative collaboration,” Tony Khan said. “It’s a really exciting time for AEW. We’ve been on a strong run of shows. We kicked off 2025 with a very successful debut on Max and had some great shows to launch this new era of simulcasting.
“I love pro wrestling so much. I’m very focused on the shows each week. Seeing some of our greatest stars return to the fold and adding some very exciting stories. There have been stars who have been there from the beginning and flourishing right now. In particular, the return of Kenny Omega.
“There was also Will Ospreay and Ricochet and many others. I think it’s a great mix of some of AEW’s greatest names ever. One of the great things about AEW is our wrestlers seizing an opportunity. I believe AEW is where the best wrestle. When they latch on to something special, it’s amazing to see how far they’ll take it.
“I’m very impressed by both a long-time star and former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and Ricochet, who is a relative newcomer in AEW and arrived on a big stage at All In London. I offered a new opportunity for Ricochet in recent months and am so impressed how he has seized it. In November, when we announced the Continental Classic participants and upcoming matches, I made an opening for Ricochet. What he did with it was very impressive.
“I thought Ricochet had one of the strongest stories coming out of the Continental Classic with Swerve Strickland. There are a lot of times it’s possible to create specific opportunities for wrestlers to thrive, but it’s really a testament to the wrestlers and their talent when they seize those opportunities and score big.
“I love collaborating with talent and giving them those opportunities and trying to take the best ideas. My own ideas or suggestions that people make along the way, either the staff or wrestlers themselves, and trying to build the best version of it.”
A timeless rivalry…
When asked about the ongoing storyline between Toni Storm and Mariah May, Khan praised both women while also hyping up their title match later this month at Grand Slam Australia.
“One of AEW’s popular characters and greatest champions Timeless Toni Storm is an example of this,” Tony Khan said. “I’m a huge fan of old movies. Two of my favorite old films I’ve seen many times are All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard. They are two different movies with several things in common. They both feature larger-than-life actresses giving amazing performances as larger-than-life actresses.
“The way that Bette Davis carries herself as Margo Channing in All About Eve and the way that Gloria Swanson conducts herself as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Totally different performances, but there are some common themes of these actresses in very different places in their careers and lives, there are aspects from both I drew inspiration from.
“There are aspects from the Toni and Mariah story that come from All About Eve. There are aspects of the madness of Toni Storm’s character from Sunset Boulevard right down to her butler Luther. I came in with a vision for a new character, but it’s a vision and ideas.
“It will never make it off the page on a screen without a transcendent talent like “Timeless” Toni Storm. Margo Channing never got to get her hands on Eve. They never had the knockdown, drag-out fight. Toni Storm and Mariah May had a fantastic match at AEW All In London in England, Mariah May’s home country.
“Now we get the rematch in Australia, Toni Storm’s home country. I love working with Toni and Mariah. Mariah stepped into her portrayal of pretending to be a person she is not using manipulation, flattery, deception to steal the spot of “Timeless” Toni Storm. She has pulled it off. Fantastic. They are both fantastic.”
READ MORE: Tony Khan: AEW Grand Slam Australia Was Always Planned As A TV Event
What do you make of Tony Khan’s overall comments? Do you think AEW is in a good place creatively right now? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
