When it comes to the world of professional wrestling, one of the biggest stories of the year is AEW’s ongoing negotiations for its next media rights deal.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call ahead of the promotion’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view, Tony Khan drew on his experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars to make an analogy about how close AEW is to striking a deal.
“It’s a big year for AEW with our media rights renewal coming up and it’s gonna affect everybody who works here in AEW. Our wrestlers, our staff and everybody in the company and the fans of the company too — the deal we make and the distribution,” the AEW president and owner said. “It’s a really important time for us. And the fact that we’ve gotten here and we’re at this point and I believe we’re in the red zone right now and really approaching the goal line and about to make a big push for the big touchdown we’ve been chasing for years.
“I think it’s really really exciting that we’re so close and this has been a great drive together with you the past five years and I’ve enjoyed and I hope that we’re about to put the ball in the end zone. I can feel it coming and it’s a really exciting time and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you covering the company.”
Khan’s comments would seemingly indicate that AEW will be re-signing with Warner Bros. Discovery, as the two sides were still in their exclusive negotiating window with each other as of Friday. While it’s unclear when exactly that period expires, it is believed to be soon — if it hasn’t happened already — potentially adding a sense of urgency for both entities to get a deal done.
As Khan alluded to, AEW’s next media rights deal will be critical to the company’s future and could determine whether the pro wrestling promotion will be profitable in what marks its fifth year of existence. In May, Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported that Khan was “disappointed” in WBD’s offers, although you wouldn’t know it based on his public praise for the media conglomerate and its CEO, David Zaslav.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.