Tony Khan Affirms AEW’s Strong Partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery, Dismisses WWE TV Rights Rumors

AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed rumors surrounding WWE’s TV rights negotiations and the potential involvement of Warner Brothers Discovery in an interview with John Pollock and Brandon Thurston for POST Wrestling.

While Khan refrained from divulging specific contract details between AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery, he emphasized the unwavering commitment shown by the network through programs like AEW Dynamite and the upcoming AEW Collision. Khan expressed confidence in the partnership, highlighting the profound dedication Warner Brothers Discovery has exhibited towards AEW.

“I don’t want to talk too much about the contract we have with Warner Brothers Discovery, but I definitely have some pretty favorable things in there, and given the commitment that Warner Brothers Discovery is making for AEW with Collision and Dynamite, I think it really shows that they’re fully committed to AEW. We just had AEW All Access also launch on Max, in addition to being on TBS every Wednesday night and on TNT every Friday and now every Saturday night, starting this week with the launch of Collision.”

In regards to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s interest in wrestling, Khan expressed his belief that Zaslav has become a genuine wrestling fan. Khan described Zaslav as a staunch supporter of AEW and pointed to Zaslav’s statement about desiring two more hours of AEW television as a substantial vote of confidence in the company.

Khan expressed gratitude for Zaslav’s support and the opportunity to fulfill his request by launching AEW Collision on Saturday nights. He viewed this swift turnaround and the ability to deliver a remarkable show with AEW Collision as further solidifying the robust partnership between AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery.

“I think so. I think so. I really believe David Zaslav has been a very, very strong supporter of AEW. I believe when he came in and said, ‘I want two more hours of AEW on Saturday nights,’ that was one of the biggest votes of confidence that you could give us, and it was certainly very favorable for us to hear that he wanted that, and then to be able to deliver in a very quick turnaround and put together what I think is going to be a great, great show with AEW Collision every Saturday night.”

While Khan refrained from providing specific details regarding WWE’s TV rights negotiations or any potential involvement of Warner Brothers Discovery, his comments indicate that AEW remains confident in its partnership and remains dedicated to delivering exceptional content to its fans.