Tony Khan believes 2025 has been a landmark year for AEW in its ongoing competition with WWE. Appearing on the Battleground podcast to promote tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Fishers, Indiana, the AEW President said he feels the company has made meaningful progress in closing the gap with the industry leader across several business categories.
Khan described AEW as the “challenger brand” in professional wrestling, noting that the company has significantly narrowed the divide between itself and WWE over the past year.
“This has been an awesome year for AEW. We’re the challenger brand in pro wrestling, and I think we’ve really closed the gap in a very meaningful way in 2025 in a number of key metrics,” Khan said.
While he did not specify which “key metrics” he was referring to—such as ratings, ticket sales, or merchandise—Khan did not hesitate to praise the company’s talent roster.
“I think AEW is where the best wrestle. I think that we have the best roster of wrestlers in the world today. And we’re putting on consistently awesome shows.”
Khan credited the AEW fanbase for enabling the company to maintain its momentum and operate at a high level. When asked what success might look like for AEW five years from now, Khan emphasized longevity and continued excellence.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can tell you my passion for this isn’t going anywhere. It’s been something I’ve been loving and dreaming to do for over 30 years. And now we’ve been doing it for six years in the real world — and I don’t ever want to stop with AEW.”
He added that his vision of success includes maintaining the company’s current output:
“If we can keep doing the things we’re doing right now: having great pay-per-view shows, putting on great Dynamites on TBS, great Collisions on TNT, and keep this partnership with HBO Max going.”
Khan also expressed enthusiasm for expanding AEW’s global footprint. While the show already airs in more than 150 countries, he sees international touring as the next major step.
“Maybe hopefully go to some new countries, visit some new territories, expand… I think we continue visiting some of those places, breaking open new territories.”
The AEW President closed by highlighting the historical significance of what the company is accomplishing as a modern No. 2 promotion.
“And here in America, I just want to keep doing what we’re doing, because it’s amazing. To have a wrestling promotion that is a challenger company doing the things that we’re doing, some of them are unprecedented and some of them are things that have not been done in over 25 years.”
Khan’s comments reflect a confident outlook as AEW closes out 2025 and prepares for another year of competition on a global scale.
