Tony Khan heard what Paul Heyman said about him recently, and he is not mad about it at all.
After Heyman gave AEW major credit for changing the wrestling business and called Khan a “wolf across the river” with a billion-dollar checkbook, the AEW President responded during an appearance on 107.7 The Bone. Instead of firing back, Khan sounded pretty happy about the whole thing.
Khan first made it clear he appreciated Heyman’s comments about AEW and its impact on pro wrestling. He said Heyman’s praise meant something to him because he grew up watching wrestling and viewed Heyman as a major influence long before AEW ever existed.
““Well, I appreciated what he said. I thankfully grew up as a big wrestling fan and I appreciate that he had some kind things to say about AEW and when I was growing up he was a major influence on me and a lot of people in pro wrestling. So that was gratifying.”
Of course, Tony Khan was also asked about Heyman calling him a “wolf,” and he had no problem accepting that label.
“I also appreciated that he called me a wolf. That’s a nice thing to be referred to.”
Heyman originally made the comment while speaking to Chris Van Vliet, where he said AEW changed the money game for wrestlers because Khan gave talent another major place to go.
“Well, I certainly hope so. I mean it short changed the compensation packages for a lot of talent because there was a wolf across the river named Tony Khan that had a billion dollar checkbook that he could afford to pay a lot more money for talent than talent was making back in 2017, 2018, 2019.”
Heyman also said AEW gave fans a real alternative to WWE, with a different style and a major television platform.
“So it certainly changed the compensation for talent. And they’re on a viable network. They have a style that’s different than WWE’s. They present an alternative, if not a competitive brand.”
Khan then used the moment to talk about AEW’s run since launching in 2019, and he made it clear he believes the company is still going strong: “And I think that it’s really incredible that AEW, looking back to 2019, that we’re on this amazing run.”
He also pointed to Dynamite’s place in wrestling television history, saying AEW’s flagship show has lasted longer in prime time on TBS or TNT than any other wrestling show. Khan continued by saying wrestling on those networks goes back decades, which makes AEW’s run even more meaningful to him.
“Wednesday Night Dynamite is the longest running prime time pro wrestling show ever on TBS or TNT. And I think that’s amazing because there’s such a rich history of pro wrestling on TBS and TNT. They’re great channels. The legacy of wrestling on TBS goes back to 1971. And on TNT goes back to 1995. And none of the shows on those channels have lasted in prime time longer than Wednesday Night Dynamite.”
Khan said AEW launched at the perfect time, but he also made it clear he thinks the company has done a lot more than just survive. He also talked up AEW’s current product, saying the company is putting on some of its strongest shows ever in 2026.
“So, very proud of our run, and AEW definitely came at the perfect time to launch a challenger pro wrestling promotion. And we’ve done a lot more than launch. We’ve continued to grow and develop, I think, and I believe that we’ve gotten better. AEW continues to put on really strong shows. And after all these years, I thought that our most recent pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2026 last month, is in my opinion the best AEW show ever.”
“A lot of people feel that way, that in 2026 AEW’s been putting out our best shows ever. I thought Revolution and Dynasty were tremendous. The TV every week, Wednesday Night Dynamite and Saturday Night Collision is at such a high standard right now. So, very proud of what we’re doing now, seven years into our run and still going very strong with AEW.”
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