"I wouldn’t have ended the show the same way that I did" - Tony Khan on the thinking behind one of AEW's biggest title changes
Tony Khan is the president of AEW, which is widely considered the definitive alternative to WWE. The promotion is not without its faults, as it has received backlash for its booking mistakes. However, in the long run, AEW fans seem far more pleased with the product than not.
AEW has only had a handful of world champions so far, and each of these reigns have been quite meaningful. Hangman Adam Page, the current champion, won the gold by beating Kenny Omega to conclude their lengthy rivalry.
During a recent exclusive with Inside the Ropes, Khan looked back on the challenges before Hangman's crowning moment. He noted that Page's real-life obligations set back the original plans for the title change.
“It was good," said Khan. "A challenge, and it was a risk in some ways. But it was absolutely the right thing to do. When he said he wanted to take time off to be with Amanda through the pregnancy, I was all for it and very supportive. We just had to sit down and make a plan for it but we were able to get through it." (H/T: Inside The Ropes)
Hangman Page's victory showed the wrestling world that AEW values long-term booking. Kenny Omega and Page were originally tag team partners, but they memorably broke up. The two men crossed paths again one year later in the main event of Full Gear 2021, where Hangman emerged victorious.
Tony Khan's "massive" surprise could be unveiled this week
Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the massive surprise that Tony Khan teased was not a done deal as of last Thursday night, but Tony was in a lot of meetings on Thursday working on it. Tony teased it on Friday, so it must be close to being done, it if isn't already
During an interview with Busted Open Radio on Friday, Khan briefly spoke about the "massive" surprise he's working on. He teased that fans can look forward to something "pretty big."
"There will be a lot of news in the week of ahead," Tony Khan said. "I don't know if I'll get it done by tonight, but stay tuned in the week ahead. I'm working on something pretty big. It would be massive. I don't know if it's what anybody would expect or think it is, but it would be a big deal in pro wrestling. I'm looking forward to hopefully making it happen. Stay tuned. I will hopefully get it done and have more to announce soon."
Tony Khan continues to attempt to capture the attention of wrestling fans around the world. Fans will have to stay tuned to see what his newest surprise is.