Tony Khan on All In 2023 Was Most Successful PPV Event in AEW History & Credits Samoa Joe for Saving The Day, Grand Slam Mexico To Return in 2026, More Potential Dual Contract Signings, His Different Approaches to Booking AEW Dynamite & Collision

Q101 held a recent interview with AEW CEO Tony Khan. One of the topics discussed included Khan’s thoughts about AEW’s All In 2023 being the most successful AEW pay-per-view event in AEW history and his praise of Samoa Joe for saving the day.

“The most stressful pay-per-view is the first Wembley by far. Samoa Joe saved the day there. I think it was very good that Samoa Joe deescalated the situation and also that Samoa Joe made sure that the fans got the match that they had paid to see. He went out there and everything was great and he was such a professional. That exemplifies Samoa Joe in the ring and out of the ring, the most professional man. He was so great that day and so many other times. He’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, what a leader Samoa Joe is in the ring and out of the ring. A captain, a true captain of a team and I’m very blessed that he’s in AEW.”

Khan also confirmed that AEW will be holding another Grand Slam Mexico event in 2026 in Mexico.

“100%. I definitely want to do Grand Slam Mexico again and we have amazing partners in CMLL, so I would want to work with them. Grand Slam Mexico will be back in 2026 and I’m just pleased that they’ll have us. I can’t wait to go back. We had a great experience at Arena Mexico in Mexico City, there are other great cities in Mexico that we’d like to visit. That’s something that I’d hope to be able to do and we do have the great pleasure of partnering with CMLL and them hosting us in their territory and their venues. It’s an honor and I love working with Salvador and everybody at CMLL, they’re having a great year and it’s been great with AEW and CMLL working together this year.”

Khan also gave his thoughts about him being hopeful of signing more talents to dual contracts with AEW in the future due to it being “very beneficial” for the company.

“Yes, there will be more attempts to do things like that which are very beneficial to us. Hechicero has been involved in great matches in multiple promotions this year, whether it’s working for AEW, CMLL, and ROH, where he’s been a top challenger for the championship. Hechicero is a great example of that and I would like to do more things like that.”

Khan also gave his thoughts about PAC’s abscense from AEW’s Worlds End event and Daniel Garcia replacing PAC for the Death Riders’ team for their Mixed Nuts Mayhem match at the show.

“To be honest, it’s a long story. It worked out very well. We had a very hard hitting competition and everybody’s going to be cleared after the competition, but it just worked out.”

Khan also gave his thoughts about his different approaches when it comes to booking AEW Dynamite and Collision shows.

“Absolutely. There are things that I do on Collision that I think are excellent wrestling and I’m not as obsessed with the minute-by-minute viewing patterns. I am [obsessed with the minute-by-minute patterns for Dynamite], I’m obsessed with it. And I’m obsessed with Collision being a great wrestling show that the wrestling fans love.

My goal for Collision is the wrestling fans tell the other wrestling fans — because I don’t want there to ever be a perception, even though I know some fans think that, ‘Oh, I can watch Dynamite and I’ll get everything.’ That’s not the case. A lot of the best stuff is on Collision. I want the wrestling fans to spread the virus like I have. I was a virus-spreading wrestling fan that made other wrestling fans, that would go to school and bring people over and show them tapes of my favorite stuff and get other people into wrestling.”

Khan also gave his thoughts about while he believes Dynamite is a great in-ring show like Collision, there is more of a need to deliver a balanced offering due to Dynamite being on weeknight prime time television.

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com 1, 2, & 3, F4WOnline.com