Tony Khan: “AEW Is the Wrestling I Would’ve Loved as a Kid”
During a recent interview with 103.5 KISS FM, AEW President Tony Khan shared heartfelt memories from his childhood as a wrestling fan, revealing just how deep his passion for the sport goes — and how it shaped the creation of All Elite Wrestling.
“AEW, when I was a kid, is the wrestling I would love to watch,” Khan said, beaming with nostalgia.
Khan recalled his first exposure to the wrestling world outside of his hometown of Champaign, Illinois, noting that his first two live shows were ECW events in and around Philadelphia, including a visit to the iconic ECW Arena.
“The first wrestling show I ever went to outside of Champaign was actually in Philadelphia — it was ECW. The first two shows I ever went to outside of Champaign were back to back: outside Philly Friday night, and then in Philadelphia Saturday night in the ECW Arena. It was fantastic stuff. The late great Sabu passed away recently and I actually saw his stretcher match with RVD.”
Khan also revealed that he began fantasy booking wrestling at the age of 12 with a friend, long before AEW was ever an idea — a project that directly foreshadowed the name of AEW’s flagship show.
“When I was 12 years old, I started writing a show in an email thing with my friend, and we would write shows and email them to each other. We drafted all the wrestlers and split all the wrestlers in the world up and wrote our shows. Mine was Wednesday Night Dynamite, and his show was at the Aragon Ballroom. He called it the Aragon Brawl Room.”
Tony Khan’s journey from a passionate young fan to the head of one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world serves as a reminder that sometimes, the dream you have at 12 can become your life’s work.
