AEW President and CEO Tony Khan revealed key details during the AEW All Out 2025 media call, confirming the event will open with a tag team match featuring FTR versus Adam Copeland and Christian Cage. AEW All Out 2025 is set to take place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Scotiabank Arena, kicking off at 3:00 PM EST on Saturday, September 20.
In the same media session, Khan discussed the strategic shift to an afternoon start time for All Out, citing past successes with similar scheduling at AEW’s recent pay-per-views such as Forbidden Door and All In.
Strategic Move to Afternoon Start Time to Benefit Fans and Business
Khan expressed confidence in the decision to begin the event earlier in the day, emphasizing that it is designed to optimize viewership and fan experience. He explained,
“I am very excited for the opportunity to have this show this Saturday afternoon. I thought it was the best decision for our fans. We’ve had great success with the last few AEW pay-per-views with the early start time. Forbidden Door did very well, and we did some of our best numbers ever with All In, which set great business milestones for us. I think we can make it three great shows and three very successful shows in a row. I can already tell you this show is going to be a very successful business venture, and I think it’s going to be a great wrestling show and keep this run of great pay-per-views going. It was the right decision for the fans to put the time here and for us, being in the pay-per-view business, to continue this run of great shows. Making these adjustments based on the wrestling landscape and based on our metrics, we thought this would be our best chance to deliver our best numbers, while still delivering a great show to the fans. It’s worked well for us, and I think it will work well for us this Saturday afternoon.”
– Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO
AEW Focuses on Family-Friendly Ticket Pricing
Khan also addressed ticket pricing strategy, highlighting AEW’s emphasis on keeping shows affordable for a wide audience. This approach ensures accessibility for families and fans from various backgrounds. Khan stated,
“Well, absolutely, AEW’s ticket pricing is designed to be very family-friendly and it has been that way since the very beginning. Everybody’s been involved in AEW from the start will tell you that we always wanted to maintain affordable ticket prices for the fans, and particularly to bring families and young fans to the show, and make it accessible for fans of all backgrounds, of all ages, and I think it’s really exciting for us that we’re getting some good feedback about that…”
– Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO
Adapting Event Locations and Traditions While Maintaining Key Markets
When questioned about changing traditional venues for major AEW events like Double Or Nothing and All Out, Tony Khan affirmed AEW’s commitment to its loyal fan bases in key cities, while experimenting with new locations and formats. He explained the strategy as a balance between honoring established traditions and building fresh experiences for fans. Khan remarked,
I think that, to be fair, it’s worked well, to try some different things, and still maintain our tradition of running great events in these same markets that have done very well, we’re very loyal to, key AEW city, that it performs very well. But, we have routed things differently than ever before and are trying some different venues and have built some — I hope — some new traditions that will go very well. I think it’ll be really exciting to end the year and have a different holiday show in Chicago with AEW Worlds End for example… I think it’s gonna be really, really cool to have the same great cities that we are very loyal to, to keep going to the same cities with major events. But also rotating things a bit and trying some different things that are all working very well; that it seems to be doing very well.
– Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO
AEW’s Plans for a Major U.S. Show to Rival WrestleMania 43
Looking forward, Tony Khan disclosed that AEW is preparing a significant event in the United States aimed at coinciding with WWE WrestleMania 43, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in spring 2027. While Khan did not confirm whether AEW’s event will directly compete with WrestleMania, he did describe it as a “huge show,” signaling the company’s intent to make a major impact in the wrestling calendar.
This announcement comes amid an increasingly competitive atmosphere between AEW and WWE, highlighted by the fact that WWE will hold WrestleMania 43 outside North America for the first time. AEW’s ability to stage a prominent domestic event at that time suggests a strategic move to energize its fan base and attract attention during a landmark WWE event.
Saturday Night Dual Events: AEW All Out and WWE Wrestlepalooza
The weekend of September 20 also features AEW All Out 2025 facing off against WWE’s Wrestlepalooza. AEW’s event will start at 3:00 PM EST in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, while WWE’s Wrestlepalooza is scheduled for a 7:00 PM EST kickoff at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both promotions are seeking to capitalize on this direct competition to capture their respective audiences.
Significance and Future Implications for the Wrestling Landscape
AEW’s plans for a sizable U.S. show around the same time as WrestleMania 43 reflect an assertive approach to challenging WWE’s dominance in professional wrestling. By targeting a major counter-event in spring 2027, AEW aims to increase its market presence and prove its viability as a top promotion on the global stage. This move could intensify the rivalry between the companies and shift traditional fan allegiances.
Moreover, AEW’s continued emphasis on accessible pricing and innovative event scheduling suggests it seeks to broaden its demographic reach while sustaining strong core markets. Fans and industry observers alike will watch closely to see how AEW’s upcoming efforts influence viewership numbers, event attendance, and the broader wrestling promotional landscape.
