Tony Khan All Out 2026 media call notes: Paramount-WBD merger, Buy-In & Tailgate Brawl spillovers, Andy Williams’ backstage role talks – POST Wrestling

Image Courtesy: AEW

AEW CEO and President Tony Khan sat with the media Thursday ahead of AEW All Out at Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Here are notes from the media call.

After opening remarks, Khan previewed the Chicago Street Fight between The Brawling Birds and Divine Dominion for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.
On the Paramount-WBD merger, Khan said it was great for AEW and talked about the positive relationship between AEW and WBD. He noted it’s been one year since AEW PPVs have been on HBO Max and how big that’s been for that side of the business, including All In being the biggest PPV on the streaming service. He also noted that AEW has seen the “best viewership on TBS in years.” He hopes to see a resolution to the Paramount-WBD merger and admitted that he’s happy to work with the new heads of that company. Khan touted AEW’s 25-54 viewership before talking about his relationship with the company’s current partners when Warner Bros. merged with Discovery. He then transitioned into his relationship with David Ellison and working with him and CBS through the NFL, while also talking about how Ellison is a wrestling fan. Khan called AEW a “feather in the cap” for any media company, and he added that he would work hard to make sure AEW could be adaptable to any media partner change. He called himself the “ultimate corporate soldier.”
Khan told the story of bringing Steven Borden on for a tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is when he first met Sting. He then talked about Sting’s AEW run, including his retirement match that featured Steven and Garrett. He revealed that he saw a different side of Steven compared to the nice and handsome person he’s seen backstage. He admitted he got “chills” before praising Darby Allin and previewing the tag match between Steven and Darby against Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight. He added that there were “championship stakes” to this match because there’s a “path to a title shot.”
There was a follow-up question on Steven, and Khan continued to praise him as a hard worker and a great listener. He said he’s loved how the fans have grown to be fascinated by him.
There was a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” reference regarding Worlds Collide and All Out running the same day and same area when Khan was asked whether All Out was Mocha Joes or Latte Larry’s. Khan believed AEW is Mocha Joe
Khan said AEW has seen an uptick in PPV buys when The Buy-In/Tailgate Brawl spills into the start of the PPV. He noted that the first time they did was during FTR and JetSpeed, which he said worked “fantastically well.” He also said that the cliffhanger of The New Level’s debut worked well for All In: London, but he admitted he doesn’t plan on doing it all the time. Though he did tease it could continue at All Out, or maybe he doesn’t do it again.
Khan talked about Will Ospreay’s All In: London intro, specifically bringing in different wrestlers for Ospreay to walk past.
There was a preview of the match between Kazuchika Okada and Tommaso Ciampa.
Khan didn’t reveal who would answer Persephone’s open challenge but praised her as TBS Champion.
Khan admitted that Mercedes Mone’s injury did change a lot of the plans for All Out, but he revealed that he’s “almost certain” she will return next month for WrestleDream.
On The New Level, Khan called them “tremendous” and talked about how much he’s gotten to know Kofi and Austin Creed as people after being a fan of them for so long. He noted how much respect they have backstage and how much many in the locker room have looked up to them. He revealed they’ve been strong mentors and people have gone to them for advice or see them as people they can test themselves in the ring against.
Khan confirmed there will be a Worlds End PPV, but they are looking ahead to the calendar to plan things out. He noted that Worlds End is the culmination of the Continental Classic, and he recalled last year when he had to take a red-eye flight for the Jaguars the day after Worlds End.
On what led to All Out selling out quickly, Khan credited the fans, the wrestlers and the staff. He called back to AEW’s strong 2025 and the year-end awards the promotion won. He added that AEW has continued to grow in 2026 with the on-screen product, viewership and PPV buys, especially on HBO Max. He also added that the momentum from the success of All In: London and Ospreay versus Jon Moxley also helped contribute to All Out sales.
Khan called Mara Sade a “tremendous young talent” and “someone to look out for.” He said to stay tuned when it comes to whether or not she’ll be in AEW.
MJF ranked No. 1 on the PWI 500, and Khan was very happy to see that. He praised MJF and said it was another “feather in the cap” for AEW.
Khan revealed previously that he had spoken to Andy Williams, a.k.a. The Butcher, about a role in AEW before he passed. Khan said Williams wanted to be part of the office, and there was an idea of him putting on music shows to help promote AEW. He added that there were other great ideas Williams had, which is why they had a meeting, and there were other ideas in the works before his passing. Khan paid respect to Williams as a person and his impact on the locker room, as well as booking the tribute show.