AEW CEO and General Manager Tony Khan recently reflected on the competitive landscape during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, offering a clear view on whether WWE schedules its events to clash with AEW. Khan stated that he believes the tactic is intentional and very much in line with how the industry has operated for decades.

Khan explained that, in his view, rival promotions have always faced similar hurdles when they attempt to establish themselves. He pointed to the history of the business and noted that this type of scheduling overlap has long been present in wrestling.

“This is an absolute fact,” Khan said. “I do think it is done on purpose, and I understand it, and it is part of wrestling. And I think we have seen a lot of it, but I think other wrestling promotions that have been the challenger wrestling brand in our lifetime have seen a lot of it.”

He expanded on that point by recalling earlier eras of competition, particularly the days when Jim Crockett Promotions contended with major challenges before ultimately selling to Ted Turner. Khan suggested that the long build toward the success of WCW showed how much persistence and investment it takes to grow a challenger brand into something powerful.

“Jim Crockett promotions, which was the forerunner to WWE, saw a lot of this,” Khan continued. “And Jim Crockett promotions ended up having to sell the company to Ted Turner, who then made a great run. It took a while. And really, if you look Ted Turner took over at the start of 1989 and the strongest run came over six years later, almost seven years later, it started, really, when business peaked and took off their peak years.”

Khan explained that AEW entered the market fully aware of the long standing territorial attitude within the business. He believes that understanding the past helps him navigate the present. He noted that scheduling tension has been especially obvious in recent years, with WWE airing Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT Heatwave at the same time as major AEW shows such as All Out and Forbidden Door.

“I do think that we have seen that kind of counter programming in those things, and I understand, and looking back at wrestling history, kind of expect that and frustrate you,” Khan said. “I think it is okay, because for us, it is always worked out, and we are in a great position. So it has not ever been a thing where it has cost us anything. And even when you do something like AEW All In Texas, where we do the show in the afternoon, it really worked out for us great. And it was one of the best days in the history of the company. I think that it is something that is a part of the wrestling business, and I definitely do not take it personally.”