3 things AEW must be proud of in 2024 and 2 Tony Khan probably regrets
2024 turned out to be a quite significant year for AEW. The Tony Khan-led company had to press the restart button this year after the departure of CM Punk in September 2023. In December 2023, Kenny Omega stepped away from in-ring competition due to his medical condition, leaving the company in an even tougher spot.
Thankfully, many new stars rose to the occasion to help carry All Elite Wrestling in the absence of other established stars. The company's overall product went through its fair share of highs and lows, but AEW had its moments of brilliance throughout 2024.
The year was a significant challenge for Tony Khan as a booker, as he had to restructure the company's booking, without many of its most notable assets. The President of All Elite Wrestling spelled his magic during marquee events, as the company went on a hot streak of highly acclaimed pay-per-views this year.
However, there were certain booking decisions TK might not think fondly of when looking at the past. In this article, let's look at three things AEW must be proud of in 2024 and two Tony Khan probably regrets.
#3. Moment AEW would be proud of: Signing major International Superstars
Following the exits of CM Punk and Kenny Omega, All Elite Wrestling desperately needed to inject some star power into its roster. In the first half of 2024, WWE and AEW went head-to-head in bidding wars for several prominent free agents.
Having already acquired Will Ospreay a few months prior, AEW dealt a huge blow to WWE by signing the likes of Kazuchika Okada and Mercedes Mone. It was a massive morale victory for the Jacksonville-based promotion, as these acclaimed international stars chose to sign with Tony Khan despite garnering interest from the Triple H-led regime.
In the latter half of 2024, Khan acquired Ricochet and The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin) to add some variety to the company's talent pool. Names like Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Daniel Garcia also re-signed with the Jacksonville-based promotion, further showing their trust in the company's vision.
At a time when WWE's product is at its peak, Tony Khan snapping up top free agents under the nose of the Stamford-based promotion feels like a significant achievement.
#2. Moment Tony Khan might regret: Inconsistent booking of weekly shows
While AEW delivered many quality pay-per-views this year, its weekly booking structure seems to have fallen apart. The Jacksonville-based promotion currently puts out three separate shows on a weekly basis, all of which have suffered from inconsistencies in storylines.
Shows like Collision and Rampage have seemingly lost their identity in recent months. While these shows have become a hub for great in-ring matches, very little storyline progression takes place on either of the programs.
Dynamite is undeniably the flagship show of All Elite Wrestling at the moment. However, the lack of continuity in storytelling has hurt the credibility of the Wednesday night show. The lack of a desired response to The Elite vs. AEW storyline indicates the issues with the company's weekly booking.
A lot of booking decisions made by Tony Khan this year have been questionable from a storytelling standpoint. Instead of using the weekly shows to flesh out the top characters, Khan's focus has only been on the quality of in-ring action.
The audience often struggles to maintain interest in the ongoing stories on Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision, which ultimately leads to disappointing ratings for these shows.
#2. Moment AEW would be proud of: Securing a media rights deal with Warner Brothers Discovery
In October 2024, Tony Khan revealed that AEW had signed a multi-year agreement with its broadcasting partner, Warner Brothers Discovery. It was a massive accomplishment for the Jacksonville-based promotion, as it meant that Dynamite and Collision would continue to run on TBS and TNT respectively.
Moreover, the media rights deal will allow AEW to stream its content on MAX's streaming service, starting from January 2025. Doubts had been raised over All Elite Wrestling's relationship with Warner Brothers Discovery, and if the broadcast partner would be interested in renewing the company's media rights deal.
Many notable wrestling personalities were skeptical about AEW being on TBS and TNT after the end of their first deal with WBD. Tony Khan silenced all such critics of the AEW product by successfully extending the company's partnership with the media conglomerate.
#1. Moment Tony Khan might regret: Airing the CM Punk-All In footage on Dynamite
In April 2024, CM Punk delivered a scathing rant on All Elite Wrestling during his appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour podcast. The Second City Saint opened up about the backstage issues within the company and also shed light on his backstage brawl with Jack Perry at All In 2023.
A few days later, it was announced that The Young Bucks would air the footage of the Punk-Perry All In brawl on AEW Dynamite. While The Bucks allegedly wanted to generate interest in their feud with FTR through this segment, the general belief was that the footage was being aired to defame The Best in the World.
The EVPs did not backtrack on their word and aired the footage on Dynamite as promised. In an attempt to portray CM Punk as a rogue, The Bucks ended up validating his statements. As seen in the video, the events at All In transpired almost similar to what Punk had mentioned in his interview with Ariel Helwani.
At a time when AEW was desperately trying to come out of Punk's shadow, broadcasting the video of the infamous All In brawl was the wrong move. It highlighted the company's unhealthy obsession with The Voice of the Voiceless and sent the wrong message to the audience.
Furthermore, it did not have a long-term effect on AEW's ratings either. The footage did not elevate The Bucks vs. FTR rivalry, nor did it affect The Best in the World's position in WWE.
The only people who were affected by the airing of the footage were Jack Perry and The Young Bucks, who drew criticism for being stuck in the past.
#1. Moment AEW would be proud of: Booking a perfect farewell for Sting
At Revolution 2024, Sting drew the curtains on his legendary wrestling career. The Vigilante featured in the show's historic main event, defending the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks, with Darby Allin by his side.
It was a magical night for the fans of pro wrestling, who got to say goodbye to The Stinger in a grand manner. It was arguably one of the greatest moments in AEW's history, which is a testament to the amazing job Tony Khan did in booking Sting's farewell.
The bout took place in the Greensboro Coliseum, the same arena where Sting won his first-ever World Championship. The Icon's two sons, Garrett and Steven Jr. Borden, were also a part of their father's final in-ring outing.
Garrett donned Sting's iconic "Surfer" look, while Steven opted to dress as "Wolfpac Sting." After a beautiful video package, The Stinger came out to a roaring ovation alongside his two sons.
While a section of the fans feared about Sting possibly losing his final contest, Tony Khan ultimately made the right call. Sting emerged victorious on his special night, ending his final-ever wrestling match as a champion with his prodigy. It was a well-executed farewell tour for one of Pro Wrestling's biggest gems, and Tony Khan should forever be proud of giving Sting his well-deserved send-off.