More AEW News: Bookers, Tony Khan, TV, Contract Offers, Jericho, Rally, More

Jan 1, 2019

Roles of Cody, The Young Bucks and Tony Khan

Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan, who is reportedly financing the promotion, will be the “President” of the company, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Cody Rhodes, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson will be “Executive Vice Presidents.” They will also very likely be the main bookers and head of creative for the promotion.

Tony Khan

Khan is expected to be “aggressively involved” in pursuing deals for AEW, according to PWInsider. The promotion is expected to be a major financial investment for Khan and will likely be the biggest competition, from a financial standpoint, that WWE has had since the end of WCW in 2001.

The Khan family is reportedly worth $6.3 billion, according to Forbes.

Tony Khan is a lifelong pro wrestling fan and not just a casual one. He also “reads the dirt sheets” and has even been subscribed to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for over 20 years, according to Dave Meltzer.

He’s also said to be close with The Young Bucks.

TV Deals

The company is of course planning on pursuing a national TV deal. There have been conversations with several potential outlets already, according to PWInsider.

There was a trademark filed for “Tuesday Night Dynamite,” so it sounds like they would be eyeing a Tuesday night timeslot. SmackDown will move to Fridays starting in October.

Contract Offers

As reported already, Cody Rhodes is already signed and the Young Bucks will obviously also sign if they haven’t already. Their ROH contracts expired today.

There have also been discussions with several other (unnamed) wrestlers and multi-year offers already made, according to PWInsider.

Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has not signed a deal with AEW, but he is clearly “on their radar,” according to Dave Meltzer.

On Sunday, Jericho thanked Tony Khan for hooking him up with field-side seats to a Vikings game.

Double or Nothing Rally

There will be a “Double or Nothing” rally that will take place on January 8 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. Interestingly, WWE SmackDown will also be in Jacksonville that night at the nearby Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The AEW rally is set for 5 PM.