Tony Khan responds to Paul Heyman over his unexpected comments on AEW

AEW President and CEO Tony Khan responded to Paul Heyman over his comments about the Jacksonville-based wrestling promotion.

For a long time, WWE had been the sole major promotion in the United States after the closure of its previous rival, WCW, in 2001. However, Tony Khan and a group of top stars launched All Elite Wrestling in 2019, which became a direct competitor to the TKO-led company. Khan offered lucrative contracts, brought star-studded names, and has made AEW into a top wrestling company in seven years.

Recently, Paul Heyman said that Khan’s promotion became a huge alternative for wrestlers since its inception and caused a drastic shift in the landscape of professional wrestling. In an interview with 107.7 The Bone, Shahid Khan’s son was appreciative of Heyman’s comments about him and AEW, calling him a major influence growing up.

“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.”- H/T Ringside News

Furthermore, Khan was thrilled that The Oracle called him a wolf and had no issue accepting that label.

“I also appreciated that he called me a wolf. That’s a nice thing to be referred to.”- H/T Ringside News

Tony Khan said that AEW launched at the perfect time

In the same interview, the AEW head honcho said that his company launched at the perfect time. Moreover, Tony Khan believed that All Elite Wrestling did more than just survive and has put up some of the best wrestling shows, especially 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.”- H/T Ringside News

As AEW continues to go stronger in the wrestling world, it remains to be seen what is next for them.