During the Full Gear 2025 post-show media scrum, Tony Khan says he feels great about the past year for AEW. The AEW President believes the turnaround started at Full Gear 2024, and last night’s Full Gear 2025 pay-per-view event was a major step forward. You can see highlights below:
On Full Gear 2024 turning things around for AEW: “One year ago — sitting in this chair today, I felt; I don’t feel now. One year ago I felt — and today, it’s 180 degrees the other way — felt, one year ago, embattled. I feel the opposite. I feel like we are — doing the 10,000 fans, and having the Full Gear show, felt like the beginning of a turnaround. And that’s really what everybody, the vibe [at] Full Gear last year was like, ‘This feels like the beginning of a big turnaround for us.’”
On the past year in AEW: “And you look at one year later, and it feels like we’re on such a great run this year. It’s been a great year for us. Some interesting things I’m learning about looking back at this year. And we’re in the fourth quarter now of the year… we’re doing things differently a year later.
“But I felt like one year ago, that was a beginning of a great run of things that now — like you said, full circle. It feels like a total opposite feeling, where it feels like a year ago, it felt like the beginning of a turnaround. And now it feels just like flow, momentum. And what a great year we’re having.”
On announcing the AEW Continental Classic: “Coming out of tonight, that was such a hard-hitting show. So many of the wrestlers, women and men, beat up. And coming into the week, it’s going to be a very exciting week of AEW. I’m back in the trainer’s room across the hall. We’re still working through but I’ve got a very good idea of who will be participating. And I will be announcing early this week who all the Continental participants in the Gold and the Blue League are.”
On if he ever gets to a burnout point: “No, I haven’t taken a break from wrestling in a long, long time and I love it. I am very much in the zone. I love coming to work every week. I’ve never missed a show, and I absolutely love it. I talked about this a little earlier in the week, but I love coming here… Every day I come into work, I’m so grateful to be in the chair. And I think all the time about how fortunate I am.”
“I’m also really glad that you all for the most part, a lot of wrestling fans really like what I’m doing and want me to be in the chair. Because I’m cognizant that it’s not always that way for people. I feel like — again, like I said earlier, a year ago I felt like I was working really hard and I was trying my best. And I feel like a year later, being in the same building and the same place… it feels like we’re in a better place than we were a year ago in many, many ways. For me, I don’t get that, so I’m always really grateful.”
On fan burnout: “Now as a wrestling fan, wrestling’s on 52 weeks a year. So I realize that it takes a special kind of sports fan to have no offseason, and to follow a sport year-round. And there were times where I was a kid when there would be periods where I’d be playing basketball and miss some wrestling shows. And the next thing you know, you miss the show a couple weeks in a row…”
“There were a couple times where in the ’90s I had a couple times like that. And then time after time, any time I got away from it, I always rediscovered my love for it. ANd being entrenched in it now for seven years without a week away from it? I’m obsessed with it. I love it so much, I never think about being away from it… so it’s really a pleasure to be here. And I never take it for granted how special it is.”
