How AEW astonishingly made six figures for just one Dynamite match - Reports
Tony Khan put his business acumen to work and raked in the big bucks for AEW. In the wrestling business, apart from the television deals and merchandise, one-off sponsorship deals are dollar magnets. TK has been working on getting sponsors for his special matches.
One of the most intriguing matches at Dynamite this week was the street fight that saw Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, and others fight off the Don Callis Family along with Brian Cage. This bout had a big-name sponsor, and it was none other than SEGA. SEGA had tied up with the Jacksonville-based company for the promotion of their game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which is a spinoff of their iconic game, Yakuza. The sponsorship deal was reportedly worth six figures.
This isn't the first time that Khan has used his acumen to get a sponsor to bankroll a particular match. Earlier. another street fight was dubbed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Death Match, which took place on an episode of AEW Dynamite. That match was sponsored by the video game of the same name. Khan had successfully tied up with the game publishers for the promotion, and according to Fightful Select, everyone was happy with how the match went.
Video games are part of the wrestling ecosystem, with WWE 2K games ruling the roost when it comes to popular fighting games. Khan's promotion has its own game as well, AEW Fight Forever.
There are some other products that routinely make the sponsorship rounds of wrestling programs, which include energy drinks and fast food. However, one company sponsoring one single match is a novelty.
Tony Khan and AEW have earlier been criticized for their booking
Tony Khan is the President of AEW, and he is also the head booker. So, anytime content slips up, he's called out. Eric Bischoff has done just that, saying that the Jacksonville-based company produces weak storylines.
Earlier, Vince Russo had publicly requested Khan to give him booking rights for the programs for six months. The company is also seeing dwindling numbers when it comes to viewership. But at least on the sponsorship front, Khan seems to have come up with aces.