Tony Khan comments on contacting a former WWE World Champion and others after he had the idea to start AEW
Tony Khan recently opened up about the process behind founding AEW and the first few wrestlers he signed.
AEW's first ever event was Double or Nothing in 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The blockbuster event showcased the debut of Jon Moxley as well as introducing fans to some of the biggest stars on the roster today.
The AEW President sat in for an interview with Brandon Walker on Barstool Rasslin'. Tony Khan revealed that the concept of AEW came to him as early as 2018, and that he initially tried to get CM Punk to join him on the venture.
"I started working on the concept that became AEW about four years ago. It’s crazy because people I really wanted to reach out to at the beginning [like] CM Punk, Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks. The first people I really wanted to get, it took me a while to wrangle CM Punk, but pretty quickly I got Jericho and Matt Jackson to start talking to me. We were talking a lot and those guys really helped start it, because Matt brought Nick and so many other people; Cody and even later, Kenny." - Khan said (45:55)
Two years ago today... What a moment and AEW debut for Jon Moxley.
Who's ready for #DoubleOrNothing 2021? https://t.co/Df0a0LdVYi
Since its first event in 2019, AEW has become the alternative to WWE, according to many fans. As the promotion continues to grow, the future seems bright for the young company.
Tony Khan believes that CM Punk and Sting has opened the door for more stars to turn to AEW
During the same interview, Tony Khan touched on the importance of CM Punk and Sting's presence in AEW. Khan also noted that he believed that the inclusion of Chris Jericho and The Young Bucks would grant legitimacy to AEW.
"I knew that I could start a wrestling company if I had Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and the Young Bucks we would be able to compete with any wrestling company in the world. [CM Punk] has been awesome for us, and Sting, and so many other legends and that’s opened up the door for more stars coming in." - (46:52)
Khan's statement could hint at the president still having a number of stars in mind to join AEW's roster. Fans will have to stay tuned to AEW to see what Tony Khan's next big idea will be.
Please credit Barstool Rasslin' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.