AEW President Tony Khan has offered his response to the recent comments made by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H regarding AEW’s status as a ‘secondary promotion’. These remarks arose in the context of the new Cody Rhodes Peacock documentary, which delves into Rhodes’ journey outside WWE, including his co-founding of All Elite Wrestling in 2019.
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Triple H’s comments surfaced during the documentary, specifically when discussing Rhodes’ departure from AEW in February 2022 and his subsequent return to WWE in April of the same year. Triple H shared insights, stating:
“It’s to take that gamble again and say ‘This is not what I wanted to be.
“I didn’t grow up dreaming of being the champion or the face of a secondary promotion.’”
In response, Tony Khan engaged in a conversation with the Orlando Sentinel. Khan pointed out that AEW has assumed a primary position in various markets, including UK TV viewership, highlighting the success of AEW’s All In event at Wembley Stadium. He underlined the distinction between AEW’s broadcast on ITV and WWE’s airing on TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), which requires a subscription.
Khan remarked,
“We certainly won’t be the secondary promotion at All In. We’re No. 1 in the UK, on TV and with a record gate.
“I have a lot of respect for Cody. I know these weren’t his words, to be fair, but we’re not secondary in a lot of markets — for the first time in a long time, WWE has been secondary in a lot of markets….
“I’m proud of where we’re at and we’re not taking a back seat to anybody.”
Currently gearing up for All In, a colossal stadium show scheduled for August 27 at London’s Wembley Stadium, AEW is in the midst of significant momentum. With over 75,000 tickets already distributed, the event is on track to become AEW’s most attended gathering, surpassing the previous record set by the Grand Slam 2021 taping, which accommodated 20,177 attendees.