Tony Khan Believes AEW Will Become The Second-Most Profitable Company In Pro Wrestling History
Tony Khan has high hopes for AEW’s profit margins
All Elite Wrestling is currently the number two wrestling promotion on Earth, with the promotion looking forward to a 2025 that will see more stadium shows, and hopefully the signing of a new mega-money media rights deal.
Despite their bumps along the way, AEW are doing remarkably for a promotion approaching its sixth birthday, and during the pre-All Out media call, AEW President Tony Khan admitted he could see the company becoming the second most profitable wrestling business in the history of the industry:
"I think it is reasonable. Whether those cash flows happen overnight when the new deal kicks in, I can’t say those things for sure yet. There is still a lot to be figured out. I do think the die is cast that AEW is going to be the second most profitable wrestling company, at this point, of all time, which is very impressive for a promotion that is just over five years old and has been on television for less than five years. It’s amazing how quickly we’re expended. The expansion of the television product going from two hours a week to five hours a week. Being very excited about what the future holds in our media deal. It’s a really great time for the company.
"As getting into the semantics and mechanics of the accounting, and how we’re counting all the dollars, I’m not sure exactly how much money WCW made in 1998, nor am I honestly sure how much Jim Crockett was making in 1986, but over the duration of this deal, I expect, over this multi-year period that we’re about to enter into, that we will be the second most profitable wrestling company in the history of the wrestling business. It’s a really exciting thing, and it’s also only the beginning. It’s the beginning of a really long journey. It’s been long journey, but it’s still early in the long journey. We’re really building for the future," said Khan.
Whilst detractors may scoff at Khan’s hopes, AEW are swimming in a small pool in terms of profitability in pro-wrestling, with WWE standing head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to making money.
AEW have been in discussions with media partner Warner Bros. Discovery for most of 2024, with a deal hoped to be reached soon.
H/T: Fightful