Regardless of what some critics might say, AEW head Tony Khan is not backing down from considering AEW as in competition with industry-leader WWE, telling a news outlet over the weekend that both companies "hate each other" and that the hate will make the industry keep running.
In an interview with IndieWire published Saturday but making the rounds today due to some of his quotes, Khan talked about how wrestling has become more notable in the mainstream as of late after the events of WrestleMania 40 and his decision to air the backstage CM Punk/Jack Perry fight footage from last August's All In.
Khan then stated the following:
“There’s a number of big factors that would play into why wrestling has seen such a great renaissance in recent years. I think it comes from the great competition in wrestling right now, and the fact that there are so many great stars competing right now.
Everyone knows that the most real thing in wrestling is the competition between the companies. The companies hate each other, and it will be a natural resource that powers the industry. They want to beat each other and take everybody’s free agents, and that makes it interesting for everybody else.”
In a report from SI.com's Justin Barrasso, WWE president Nick Khan reportedly is interesting in partnering with other wrestling organizations in the future.
Whether AEW could be one of those organizations would "depend on the circumstance" according to Tony Khan in a separate interview.
More must-reads: