Tony Khan comments on having only one women's match at AEW All In 2023
AEW All In 2023 played host to several spectacular matches across the card. However, many fans quickly raised an eyebrow when only one women's bout was booked for the show. Following the event, CEO Tony Khan addressed this decision.
Speaking at the post-All In media scrum, Khan defended his decision to have only one women's contest at the monumental event. He noted that the pacing of the show ended up being the best in the promotion's history:
“A lot of the card tonight was featuring as many of the top stars in AEW as I could get, so a lot of the biggest stars in the company were not on this show, and that’s why we have big matches like Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, and obviously Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander next week. I think the pacing of the show tonight was probably the best we’ve ever had. The best show we’ve ever done. So to add more [bouts], I think would have been challenging.” [H/T: Ringside News]
Despite his somewhat vague answer to the query, Khan seemed ecstatic at how All In turned out. He also stated that he planned to get more top stars on this week's All Out card and next year's Wembley Stadium event:
“But also, we have so many great stars across both the men’s and women’s divisions, great wrestlers. I think the card, in many ways, was (…) I tried to pace it perfectly, and I think we did pretty great. (...) So I was really excited about the card and also very happy for Saraya, I thought it was a great moment, and I would love to try and get some of those top stars on All Out and also next year’s All In.”
Saraya wins her first AEW title at All In
The sole women's match on the All In card featured Hikaru Shida, Toni Storm, Britt Baker, and Saraya in a four-way battle for the AEW Women's World Championship.
Competing in her home country, Saraya picked up the victory in front of her friends and family, making for an emotional moment for the 31-year-old star.
More so, her long road to recovery from a career-threatening neck injury several years ago to get to this point only added to the drama of the occasion. Although very few would have speculated that she would walk out the champion, the moment's significance was certainly not lost on Saraya and her supporters.