Tony Khan, on WWE’s counter-programming: ‘I think it’s done on purpose, and I understand it

Throughout 2025, we have seen a more aggressive strategy from WWE based on counterprogramming All Elite Wrestling's PPVs. A clear example can be found during the weekend of AEW All In, which shared the spotlight with up to three WWE shows: NXT The Great American Bash, WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, and WWE Evolution.

Many fans have criticized WWE for "playing dirty" in an attempt to steal as much focus as possible from the competition. This was a topic that Tony Khan was asked about in a recent appearance on The Helwani Show. The AEW president stated that WWE does it on purpose, although he understands it, as it is a common strategy in this business.

“Yes, I think it's done on purpose, and I understand it. It's part of wrestling, and I think we've seen a lot of that. I think many wrestling promotions that have been the challenging company have seen a lot of that. Jim Crockett Promotions, which was the precursor to WCW, saw a lot of that," Khan said.

"Jim Crockett Promotions had to sell to Ted Turner, who had a great run," he continued. "It took a while, and really, if you look closely, Ted Turner took over in early 1989 and the strongest streak came almost 6-7 years later, when the business reached its peak. It took off in its most successful years."

"It's interesting because as a challenging wrestling promotion, you have a great opportunity. It's really hard, it requires tons of investment to build a solid and competitive company; that's why we took the risk with AEW when we did. I think we've seen counterprogramming in those things. I understand it. Looking back at the history of professional wrestling, it's something we somehow expect," he concluded.