AEW CEO and Head of Creative Tony Khan has expressed immense pride in AEW WrestleDream 2025, calling it one of his favorite events in company history — even as fans criticized the show for its length.
The event, held in St. Louis, Missouri, was headlined by Darby Allin defeating Jon Moxley in a brutal “I Quit” match that closed the pay-per-view. Speaking with Josh Martinez of Z100 Radio, Khan reflected on the event’s execution and impact, praising the roster for delivering under challenging circumstances.
“I absolutely loved the WrestleDream show, start to finish,” Khan said. “And I thought we had such a great night and put so much great action in the show. And I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about WrestleDream.”
Khan emphasized that the depth of AEW’s roster shined in the absence of several top stars.
“It’s one of my favorite AEW events ever, pound-for-pound, especially with some injuries and some top stars away,” Khan explained. “I thought this was the absolute best show we were capable of putting on. So I’m more proud of what we did at WrestleDream — probably at least since the pandemic of any show we’ve done.”
AEW’s lineup was notably impacted by the absence of Will Ospreay (neck injury) and Swerve Strickland (recovering from a torn meniscus). Despite that, WrestleDream delivered major moments across multiple divisions. “Hangman” Adam Page retained the AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe, before Joe and The Opps turned heel in a post-match attack. Kris Statlander also retained the AEW Women’s World Championship over “Timeless” Toni Storm.
Khan highlighted one particularly creative choice that made the event stand out — opening the main pay-per-view with a match already in progress, transitioning directly from the pre-show bout between FTR and JetSpeed.
“Like I said, some of the top wrestling stars were away and I said, ‘I’m going to make this the best possible show and everyone’s going to say WrestleDream was the greatest event AEW could put on. And it’s going to be about the people who are here, and they’re going to love this event,’” Khan said.
He added that the concept was a first for a major wrestling event.
“I don’t think anybody had — to the best of my recollection, to the best of my knowledge — had ever had an event carry over [from pre-show into the PPV].”
Despite fan criticism over the show’s length, Khan made it clear that WrestleDream 2025 represents the kind of creative risk and roster depth he’s most proud of in AEW’s history.
