AEW founder Tony Khan appeared live in-studio on Tuesday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show” to deliver one of his most revealing interviews since he founded AEW six years ago.
Touching nearly every corner of AEW’s past, present and future, Khan reflected on the fallout with CM Punk; clarified situations involving top stars like Adam Cole, Adam Copeland and Will Ospreay; addressed WWE’s commitment to counter-program AEW’s pay-per-views as well as criticism from his most vocal detractors, plus more. It was an unusually candid and open look into the company’s internal landscape.
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Check out all the highlights and updates from the AEW leading man below ahead of Saturday’s big AEW Full Gear 2025 event on Nov. 22 in Newark, New Jersey.
After CM Punk’s infamous 2024 interview with Helwani, Khan released backstage footage of the Punk incident on that week’s episode of “AEW Dynamite.”
On not having any regrets about his handling of the Punk saga:
“I didn’t necessarily agree with everything that was said in that interview about how things happened. But also, it’s a TV show and it did a very strong number. For many reasons, I think that it made sense [to release the backstage footage]. It was something that was advertised and it got a lot of attention that did a strong number, and also it’s in the eye of the beholder.
“I think the tape spoke for itself and I didn’t agree with how it happened. Obviously, it was a major part of why things were no longer able to continue with us [and Punk], although I would have liked to be able to. It’s clear that I wanted to reconcile and do those things.
“If you look at the time before Phil came to AEW, we were having a great run and we were having great times together. We’re having a great year right now with this roster and this is the best roster and the best AEW locker room. It feels like in and out of the ring, the combination, this is the best we’ve been. We also had great times together. It was clear when we started doing ‘Collision,’ I wanted to reconcile and find a way to still do those things. I guess that wasn’t possible, but I didn’t necessarily agree with everything [he said].
“I don’t agree with [him saying I get walked all over as a boss], but everybody is entitled to their opinion. That’s feedback and it’s fair if that’s how he feels. I didn’t agree with the description of the way things played out, and that’s OK. That’s all in the eye of the beholder, just like the whole situation. … It wasn’t the first time he and I disagreed about something, and it may not be the last, and that’s OK. I had tried to reconcile, and I wanted to find a way for everybody to be able to work together. That didn’t work and that’s OK. It seems like everybody is happier and doing better right now. In AEW, everybody is really happy and it feels like this is the best the locker room has been since the Jacksonville lockdown days.”
WWE has been accused by fans in 2025 to making a concerted effort to counter-program AEW’s tentpole events. Most notably, AEW’s biggest event of the year — AEW All In: Texas this past July — was forced to go head-to-head to WWE’s debut on ESPN, Wrestlepalooza.
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Said Khan:
“I do think it’s done on purpose and I understand it. It’s part of wrestling. We’ve seen a lot of it in other promotions that have been the challenger brand in our lifetime have seen a lot of it.
“I understand and, looking back at wrestling history, kind of expect that. It’s OK, because for us, it’s always worked out and we’re in a great position. It hasn’t ever been a thing where it’s cost us anything. Even when you do something like AEW All In: Texas, where we do this show in the afternoon, it really worked out for us great, and was one of the best days in the company.
“I don’t take it personally. … All of us have seen that type of counter-programming and can speak to that.”
Adam Copeland — formerly known as Edge in WWE — has recently left AEW television to act in a new movie. The timing coinciding with the Dec. 13 retirement of his biggest career rival, John Cena, has led to widespread speculation that Copeland may be granted a chance to make a one-off return to WWE.
Khan refuted that idea:
“No [WWE never asked to use him]. … Adam is going to be with us through the year.
“Adam Copeland is a huge part of AEW and I have so much respect for him, and I really, really like Adam a lot. I’m glad to have him here. He’s away filming, but he’s with us and he’s going to stay with us.”
Former WCW frontman Eric Bischoff has been consistently critical of AEW since its inception.
Khan responded:
“I think it’s ironic coming from Eric, because Eric sat in this position and he was making a lot of great moves, and Eric had a run that was unbelievably successful when you look at what he accomplished from 1995 to 1998. It was unbelievable, and he still did some good things in those other years. It wasn’t like everything he did in 1995 to 1998 was 100% perfect 52 weeks a year, but he did some really incredible things. Some of his accomplishments are unbelievable, and he still talks about it to this day. ’83 weeks’ is something that is synonymous with Eric and his brand. It’s the name of his show. It’s incredibly impressive.
“I also was one of the wrestling fans as a kid — I was like 11, 12, 13 years old — who was critical at times of some of the things Eric did, but also appreciative at times, and I was more balanced than other people. But I understand what it is to be a wrestling fan and to have certain things you want and expect out of a wrestling show. Eric did a lot of those things, so he has a really good understanding of what it is to be on TBS and TNT, and put on pay-per-views, and work with the executives at Turner. Even some of the people who have been there for 30 years have worked with both of us through different administrations, which is incredible. I talk to him about that at times. It’s been a while, but not that long [ago].
“I respect his opinions and I think he talks about AEW a lot because AEW is on every Wednesday night, every Saturday night, then it gives them good content to talk about. In his case, I think it’s interesting because he spends a lot of time talking about AEW, but I think he’s also cognizant that there were a lot of media personalities and former wrestling promoters that had strong vocal opinions of him, and I’m not trying to say I’ve done more than him.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, but I also think Eric’s in a unique position because he was in the chair and he did have to make a lot of decisions. He also knows that you can’t go backward, you can only go forward, and you can only learn from the things you’ve done. So I’m very fortunate. I think about it all the time, to still be in the chair. You can make a mistake, and if you make a series of mistakes and you go down a wrong path in pro-wrestling, you can end up in a place that nobody comes back from — and look how many people in pro wrestling went down that door of making mistake after mistake, then they were gone. Sometimes it’s not their fault, it’s due to extenuating circumstances you can’t control. But I’m fortunate, if I make a mistake, that I’ve always been able to go back and look at it and figure out, ‘What can we do to make the next show perfect?’ Or make sure I don’t do that again.”
Will Scarlett and Killer Kross end up in AEW?
(WWE via Getty Images)
Killer Kross — known in WWE as Karrion Kross — became a free agent after the expiration of his WWE contract this past August.
Khan on whether AEW has interest:
“I have not spoken to him in many, many years. It’s interesting. I’m not sure. I like Killer Kross. It would be interesting at some point to talk to him again. It’s been a long time.
“He did some stuff with Darby [Allin] that I was involved with Darby, in terms of clearing the schedule for Darby to do an independent match with him here in New York. … I actually wanted to go see his match, but Darby had to be hustled out and we still had events, so Darby left early to go do that match with Killer Kross, which was great that he was able to do it. I didn’t get to see him that night, but that probably would have been a great chance to reconnect with him.
“He’s great. He’s tremendous. You never know what’s going on with different wrestlers in different wrestling organizations, so I can’t speak to that, but I think he is very talented, and Darby said he had a great experience with him. So it would definitely be worth reconnecting.”
Former AEW roster member Matt Hardy recently spoke in-studio on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” discussing WWE’s partnership with TNA. Hardy noted how he believes the move was done to hurt AEW.
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Said Khan:
“I respect that opinion a lot. It’s probably true, and I respect that Matt said it, honestly. That’s really cool. … It’s a very interesting collaboration [between WWE and TNA], but I think Matt hit the nail on the head that it makes sense. AEW is a very strong challenger brand.
“Yeah [it’s a compliment]. I remember when WCW was starting to do better and Smoky Mountain Wrestling was running shows in Georgia, that Vince McMahon called up Jim Cornette and sent a bunch of the WWF wrestlers to Smoky Mountain to help compete with WCW. So I think when you have a strong challenger brand, it’s not that unusual to see the WWF collaborate with another company.
“I don’t take it personally at all. It makes sense looking at the wrestling playbook of the WWF.”
Former WWE wrestler Andrade El Idolo recently made his return to AEW before reports surfaced that he violated his WWE contract’s non-compete clause, prompting WWE to send a cease-and-desist letter to AEW. Reports have said Andrade could be kept off TV for an additional year thanks to the violation.
Said Khan:
“I think the world of Andrade. I had a great experience with him and he left on the best of terms [the first time]. Now, when he said he was free and made his one-night appearance, I was thrilled to see him again. Anytime he’s free and whenever that is, he is absolutely always welcome in AEW.
“I can’t speak to [him misrepresenting his contract status]. It is an interesting situation that I’m going to keep an eye on.”
Adam Cole hasn’t been seen on AEW television since his All In: Texas announcement.
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AEW star Adam Cole was pulled from AEW All In: Texas on the day of the show after failing to be medically cleared. Instead of wrestling Kyle Fletcher on the night, Cole delivered a gut-wrenching, sincere announcement that he was stepping away and was unaware whether he’d ever compete again.
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On Cole’s status:
“That’s hard. Adam Cole, I love so much. He’s such a great wrestler but he’s also a really good friend. It was very, very hard when I got the phone call the morning of All In: Texas that Adam Cole was not feeling well. He’s had injuries, and it’s no secret some of the injuries he’s experienced have been head injuries.
“It was terrible when Adam Cole had the ankle injury. When he needed time to recover, you just don’t want to see him in so much pain, but also, that alone could have been a career-ending injury, and he was out for over a year. He came back from that and he was wrestling at such a high level. I was really excited about what Adam Cole had done in 2025 to work his way into a top position and become the TNT Champion. It was a great comeback story.
“I’m just glad that he was able to tell us when he didn’t feel good about wrestling anymore. It would have to be the right situation for Adam to wrestle again. It’s always possible we keep Adam as part of the family, but I want to get to where he feels good about traveling and doing things every week again. But I’ve been open with him that when he’s ready, there’s always a role in AEW for him.”
Former AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker has been off screen for over a year, despite reports that she’s cleared to wrestler.
On Baker’s status:
“I’m just looking for the right time with Britt, and I’ve had really good talks with Britt, who I really, really like. Britt’s a great person in and out of the ring. She’s so impressive.
“I would love to have Britt back in AEW, and Britt is going to be back, I really believe, in AEW. I hope soon. But it’s going to be the right situation for her and everybody involved, and I want to make sure she’s 100%, and that’s important to me. In Britt’s case, I think she can still come in and be a huge part of AEW, and I expect she will.”
Top AEW star Will Ospreay was written off TV in recent months after revealing he was set to undergo surgery for a serious neck injury.
On Ospreay’s status:
“He’s recovering from the injuries, I talk to him regularly, he’s doing better. It’s a neck [injury]. I think he’s been pretty open about it, so I don’t want to talk out of turn on these injuries, but Will has been pretty open that he’s on the recovery. He’s on the mend. … Will Ospreay is going to be back in AEW, hopefully, earlier next year.”
Will Chris Jericho be back to AEW?
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Inaugural AEW World Champion Chris Jericho has been reported to be nearing the end of his AEW deal after being with the company since launch.
On Jericho’s status:
“He’s been away from us for a bit. I love Chris personally and professionally. I just reached out and wished him a happy birthday recently. I’m very excited about everything Chris has done in AEW and he continues to be with us.
“I can’t speak to [if he’ll be back], but I love having Chris in AEW and he’s always welcome. The door’s always open for Chris to come in.
“Some of [his absence] comes down to working out the dates. I would rather not get into [contract talk]. … I hope we’ll get Chris back in. A star like Chris Jericho, you negotiate a certain number of dates, and Chris has always been really great about being one of those wrestlers when he’s in AEW, he’s all the way in.”
Rusev — formerly Miro in AEW — returned to WWE earlier this year after a stop-start run with Khan’s promotion, with the tail-end of it seeing the talent disgruntled and arguably underutilized.
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On Rusev:
“Miro was a great wrestler and he was great in AEW. He was a TNT Champion and he and I just had, at times, different visions of things. But that’s OK. Everybody’s entitled to different opinions and different ideas. And really, that’s what this all is. It’s different ideas, and we just kind of drifted into some different ideas of what we thought we should be doing. That’s OK, and he worked in WWE before, and that clearly was a good experience for him. So he clearly was excited to go back and he did go back. I wish him the best and that’s what he’s doing now. That must make sense for him and that’s why he wanted to do it.”
With the pay-per-view model seemingly fading across combat sports, AEW remains one of the few organizations to push onward with it.
Khan addressed whether or not there are plans to ditch it like UFC and WWE:
“I’m not sure. With AEW, something I’ve been really conscious of and tried to stay consistent with is maintaining great prices for families or friends to come and watch the shows at an affordable price to be an AEW fan. We’ve done a fantastic job with that. Now, the pay-per-view price for AEW has been consistent from day one. It’s the same price it’s always been to order the pay-per-views. It’s on cable and satellite, $49.99, and now you can get the event, lots of outlets that we’ve added over the years, for $49.99. Amazon Prime, YouTube, a lot of great places that are great partners. But our media partnership that really drives the engine that is AEW, is AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery [on TBS and TNT].”
