AEW President Tony Khan. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Tony Khan praises AEW's 'unprecedented success story'

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Sep 9, 2024 1:47 PM ET

AEW was launched in 2019. Unlike other startup wrestling promotions, it had the backing of a billionaire in Tony Khan and quickly acquired a string of elite wrestlers from around the globe. In the five years that followed, AEW went from a small-time company to the second-largest wrestling promotion on the planet.

Speaking to the media during a news conference after Saturday's "All Out" pay-per-view, Khan praised AEW's growth and achievements in its first five years. Khan specifically focused on AEW's growing market share and how the company's rapid growth has been "unprecedented."

"The market share that AEW’s captured since we launched five years ago is unprecedented," Khan said. "We started with a market share of zero, and (now) we have a real market share. We’ve now gone to England and twice we've sold over 50,000 tickets. We’ve set business records. We've done multiple multi-million dollar gates. We’ve become an international success story, and we're only continuing to build our worldwide business. I think it’s an unprecedented success story."

AEW has established itself as a genuine challenger brand. It has successfully challenged WWE in the free-agent market and has consistently beaten it to top talent over the past 12 months. Will Ospreay was the most notable win for Khan's company.

Nevertheless, AEW must find a way to continue growing. Attendance has been dwindling throughout 2024, leading some to believe its bubble has begun to burst. However, Khan has clearly made some changes behind the scenes. AEW is becoming more story-led, building up narratives and drawing fans into storylines that capture attention and generate views on social media.

Khan is right to highlight AEW's success. Many companies have tried and failed to compete with WWE, although it still has some way to go to reach the heights of WCW and become true a financial rival. It has also forced WWE to raise its game, which has been fantastic for professional wrestling but likely detrimental to AEW's consistent growth.

AEW will undoubtedly receive some criticism for its "All Out" show. It was violent, intense and, at times, graphic. However, that's the point of being an alternative. It's what AEW does best, and it's why it could be a major player in the wrestling industry for decades to come.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

More must-reads: