Tony Khan

I think that it's interesting because when I watched the Colbert show that first week of the lockdown, there was nobody in the studio to react to the joke. So then I watched what Jimmy Fallon was doing and I thought that was really interesting because he had the crew and people from the office

I think that it's interesting because when I watched the Colbert show that first week of the lockdown, there was nobody in the studio to react to the joke. So then I watched what Jimmy Fallon was doing and I thought that was really interesting because he had the crew and people from the office

behind the camera, so it sounded like maybe a dozen or maybe even a couple dozen people in the studio, and it sounded like a small comedy club. I thought that was the closest thing, and I really thought the spirit of that was right. So I decided to do the same thing, and I would take the crew of my show and have

behind the camera, so it sounded like maybe a dozen or maybe even a couple dozen people in the studio, and it sounded like a small comedy club. I thought that was the closest thing, and I really thought the spirit of that was right. So I decided to do the same thing, and I would take the crew of my show and have

Some of the wrestlers that weren't wrestling that night, some of the crew that weren't being put to work at that moment, and have them sit around the ring and react to the matches. And then we'd have an audience, even though you couldn't sell tickets in the lockdown. So we never stopped. We never took a week off. AEW ran every week through the pandemic. And we never put a rerun on.

Some of the wrestlers that weren't wrestling that night, some of the crew that weren't being put to work at that moment, and have them sit around the ring and react to the matches. And then we'd have an audience, even though you couldn't sell tickets in the lockdown. So we never stopped. We never took a week off. AEW ran every week through the pandemic. And we never put a rerun on.

It was like a period that is known by the wrestling fans as being a really great period at AEW, where the company really focused and delivered. And it's considered a golden era of AEW wrestling by our fans. And it was an area and a time where we really set ourselves apart and closed the business gap. We came out of the lockdown a lot stronger than we went into it.

It was like a period that is known by the wrestling fans as being a really great period at AEW, where the company really focused and delivered. And it's considered a golden era of AEW wrestling by our fans. And it was an area and a time where we really set ourselves apart and closed the business gap. We came out of the lockdown a lot stronger than we went into it.

I use an analogy for people that watch Star Trek. In Star Trek II, the original Rathacon, there's a nebula. And it's a terrible place. And you won't be able to use your radar. You won't be able to use your shields. Your weapons won't work. Nothing's going to work. But... It is like that for everybody.

I use an analogy for people that watch Star Trek. In Star Trek II, the original Rathacon, there's a nebula. And it's a terrible place. And you won't be able to use your radar. You won't be able to use your shields. Your weapons won't work. Nothing's going to work. But... It is like that for everybody.

So if you're the challenger and you're the underdog, then you're better off in there because then it comes down to skill and acumen and creativity and really strips down a lot of those things. So that's how I felt about the lockdown, that it really opened it up for us where we could explore new ideas, try new things.

So if you're the challenger and you're the underdog, then you're better off in there because then it comes down to skill and acumen and creativity and really strips down a lot of those things. So that's how I felt about the lockdown, that it really opened it up for us where we could explore new ideas, try new things.

And we would have this really exciting period that went from March of 2020 until the summer of 2021. And then when we went back on tour in the summer of 2021, we were in a much better place than we went into lockdown. We came out far stronger. So that was really exciting.

And we would have this really exciting period that went from March of 2020 until the summer of 2021. And then when we went back on tour in the summer of 2021, we were in a much better place than we went into lockdown. We came out far stronger. So that was really exciting.

Yeah, Ring of Honor was a company that was a challenger brand. They weren't the biggest company in wrestling, but they built a great tradition of wrestling. And they had built great momentum right as we were launching AEW, honestly. And the launch of AEW did slow down Ring of Honor. And then in the lockdown, Ring of Honor ended up shutting down completely.

Yeah, Ring of Honor was a company that was a challenger brand. They weren't the biggest company in wrestling, but they built a great tradition of wrestling. And they had built great momentum right as we were launching AEW, honestly. And the launch of AEW did slow down Ring of Honor. And then in the lockdown, Ring of Honor ended up shutting down completely.

And in 2021, they ceased operations and they were a company that was really hardly hit by the lockdown. And Sinclair, broadcasting was looking to sell the company. And so I did purchase it from them. And it's a great company with a great history. It frankly never reached the heights of AEW. And it was a great challenger brand with a great history that I have a ton of respect for.

And in 2021, they ceased operations and they were a company that was really hardly hit by the lockdown. And Sinclair, broadcasting was looking to sell the company. And so I did purchase it from them. And it's a great company with a great history. It frankly never reached the heights of AEW. And it was a great challenger brand with a great history that I have a ton of respect for.

Some of the greatest wrestlers of all time competed in Ring of Honor. And I thought it was a cool thing to keep a lot of those people wrestling. There were some people that were contracted to Ring of Honor that I brought in as part of

Some of the greatest wrestlers of all time competed in Ring of Honor. And I thought it was a cool thing to keep a lot of those people wrestling. There were some people that were contracted to Ring of Honor that I brought in as part of