"It was a very successful transition" - Tony Khan downplays the impact of Cody Rhodes leaving AEW
Tony Khan downplayed the impact of Cody Rhodes leaving AEW in a recent interview.
Early this year, Cody Rhodes reached the end of his contract with AEW and could not negotiate a new deal with Tony Khan. There was reportedly a conflict of interest on both ends which resulted in The American Nightmare parting ways with the promotion he helped build.
Rhodes eventually showed up in WWE at WrestleMania 38 Night One. He took on and defeated Seth Rollins in one of the most acclaimed matches of this year's Show of Shows.
Speaking to TV Insider, Tony Khan discussed the impact of his former EVP leaving. The Jaguars boss cited the excellent recent buy-rates for AEW pay-per-views as well as Dynamite's television numbers to indicate that the loss of one of his biggest stars has not affected the company:
"I thought Revolution was one of the best events we’ve ever had. We had a good amount of time to prepare knowing that the departure was final. I’ve had a while to prepare for that transition. I think it was a very successful transition. We had one of our top two buy rates in the history of the company. And one of the biggest revenue-generating events we’ve ever had. Our TV numbers have been tremendous. It was a very smooth transition for us."
AND STILL!
Congratulations to the @AEW Women’s World Champion @thunderrosa22 for winning + retaining her title here tonight at Battle of the Belts 2!
Thank you to everyone who watched #AEWBOTB2 on @TNTdrama tonight! We’re grateful for the support from all of you wrestling fans!
Tony Khan spoke about his upcoming announcement on AEW Dynamite
Tony Khan announced last week that this Wednesday's Dynamite will see a huge announcement. During the same interview, he discussed what the announcement could be:
"I think this surprise is different than anything we’ve promoted before. We’ve had a lot of great surprise moments in AEW. A lot of special nights on Dynamite. Without giving too much away, I think this is a unique announcement. I’m excited about this as anything we’ve worked on."
Tony Khan’s big announcement for tonight’s #AEWDynamite:
Evil Uno is good!
The last time Tony Khan promised something like this, it ended up being the announcement of his purchase of Ring Of Honor. He then went on to book the Supercard of Honor that did quite well from in-ring and business standpoints.
Fans have been busy speculating what this new announcement could be, with the leading rumors indicating a supershow featuring AEW and NJPW talent. What do you think Tony Khan has up his sleeve? Let us know in the comments below.