Tony Khan intends to keep AEW a private company so that he can eventually pass it down to his children. In an interview with Alex Sherman, AEW CEO Tony Khan was asked about the possibility of taking AEW public. He emphasized his desire to maintain it as a family business.
“I want to build,” said the 42-year-old Khan. “I’m still a relatively young executive, and someday, I’d like to have a family, and hopefully they can work in the business. It’s a family business.”
Jimmy Jacobs on Tony Khan
Former AEW employee Jimmy Jacobs recently shared his perspective on Khan’s impact on the wrestling industry in an interview with BodySlam.net.
“There’s been no better time to be a pro wrestler in the last 20 years,” Jacobs said. “When I started in ’99, it was a hot time. But in the last 20 years, no better time to be a pro wrestler. There are so many jobs, so many guys making such good money.
“WWE raised the rates that they were paying the boys right around the time that AEW started. I don’t know if there’s a direct correlation, because obviously there’s the FOX deal and the Saudi Arabia deal, but I would guess that AEW’s presence had something to do with the guys in WWE making more money.
“Everybody in the wrestling business is making more money because of Tony Khan, and his presence, the presence of his company, and what he chose to put on television also has affected how WWE… you know, what they do.”
