Tony Khan talks about his fandom, giving wrestlers a break, stats in AEW, tribalism among wrestling fans

Tony Khan was recently on the Wrestling Perspective podcast to talk about AEW. Here are some notable points:

Khan was asked if he could watch wrestling as a fan:

“I do re-watch our shows after they’re over, but it’s not with the eyes of a fan. I love them and it never stops being fun. It is similar to working in football. I watch a lot of football and I love football, but it’s different. When you’re watching your team, you’re not seeing them as a fan of them. You’re watching them and you’re both proud of some of the content and critical of some of it, but trying to make it a better team for everyone, including the fans. It is similar to that. Then when you’re watching your opponent, you’re trying to learn about it, and you’re not seeing them as a fan. “

Khan on giving his wrestlers a break for personal reasons:

“I have a very flexible policy about if people have any problems, I generally bring them up. In times of pandemic, this comes up a lot because I think mental health is a huge issue. The pandemic itself, Covid is a big deal, so there’s a mental health part and a lot of people have been really struggling, especially during the initial period of isolation. I gave everyone time off. A lot of people found solace in that and then they were finally able to get back to work. There are a lot of people who don’t feel ready to come back right away. Last year, a lot of people stayed home, not because they were sick, but because they weren’t really ready to go back to work. We’ve always given everyone time off for any problems. Of course Jon (Moxley), when he asks for time off, I’m happy he helps, and I’m really happy to bring Mox back. I’m happy for that and I’m happy to know that he’s doing better and better. I always hope for the best for Jon.”

Khan was asked if he used any stats to get wrestlers into AEW:

“In wrestling, yes. You want to see how people are doing in terms of TV ratings, ticket sales and merchandise before they come to AEW and then look within the company to see who are the big winners. So I’m really looking into that. “

Khan on why there is a big split among wrestling fans:

“I get it. There used to be more people watching wrestling, and now really, like all television, it’s the die-hard fans. It makes what the NFL does that much more impressive that that.” the audience for the NFL is growing while the audience for TV has shrunk and shrunk and shrunk.TV viewership is down 9% per year. It’s been down 18% in the last two years. Wrestling ratings are solid compared to everything else and the NFL is up, while other shows have mostly dropped 18% or more in the last two years. watching TV has changed, everything has become based on a more demanding audience. It’s like online sports. It’s very tribal. The fans of the sport are quick to speak out. what they’re a fan of and what they’re not a fan other way only o whether they really like AEW or like our competitors. It is no different from what is happening with professional sports. I think overall, it’s good to have all these fans really dedicated to their show. During the Monday Night Wars, there were people who felt powerful in one way or another. Honestly, as things continued to go, many of them switched to WWF. They did a great job and in 1999 it was a show that gave people what they wanted to see in the 90s, so I think that’s why things were trending the way they were. In terms of tribalism, I think it’s been around for a long time and it’s an important part of sport. ”

If you use any part of the quote from this article, please credit “Wrestling Perspective Podcast with Jason Powell” with ah / t to WrestlingNews.co for transcription.