"They're both huge stars" - Tony Khan sets his sights on bringing two massive stars to AEW
Tony Khan wants to bring two premiere stars from the boxing and mixed martial arts scene into AEW. Khan's penchant for bringing in personalities from different sports was not new.
Several MMA fighters have already stepped foot in the Jacksonville-based wrestling promotion, including Jorge Masvidal, Andre Arlovski, and Junior Dos Santos from the American Top Team of Dan Lambert. Recently, former UFC star Paige VanZant also signed in to become a member of the AEW women's roster.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal also appeared in an AEW ring by teaming up with Jade Cargill. They defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet in Dynamite: The Crossroads on March 3, 2021.
Speaking to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Khan said he would love to bring in Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The CEO stated that the two are the biggest stars and biggest draws at the same time.
"I'm not as familiar with MMA box office as the wrestling box office. I’m thinking Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather, probably, are the two biggest draws, I think. I don’t know for sure. I’d probably say one of those two. They’re both huge stars," Khan said. [H/T WrestlingInc]
4 years ago today, Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather happened https://t.co/vtptHyuyOf
The two fighters were involved in a boxing fight called 'The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History' held on August 26, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather Jr. defeated McGregor via technical knockout to extend his undefeated streak to 50-0.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson previously appeared in AEW
On May 23, 2020, Mike Tyson made his wrestling return by helping Cody win the TNT Championship at Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Later on Dynamite, he confronted Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle on May 27, along with Vitor Belfort and Henry Cejudo.
The Baddest Man on the Planet appeared again last year to help Jericho and his group against The Pinnacle. He was also the special guest enforcer for Jericho and Dax Harwood's match on Dynamite's April 14, 2021 edition.
Khan certainly wants to draw further interest in his company from fans of wrestling and other sports. It remains to be seen if the CEO can pull a deal to bring in the two biggest stars in combat sports today.