At Super Bowl radio row in San Francisco, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan addressed recent comments from Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), who explained why he repeatedly chose to sign with AEW over WWE during his free agency. MJF emphasized that AEW offers the best wrestling and championship opportunities worldwide, a statement that resonated deeply with Khan.
Khan expressed how hearing such praise from a top star like MJF makes him feel outstanding, highlighting AEW’s position as a leading wrestling promotion favored by many of the sport’s biggest names.
“It makes me feel incredible. I feel really great about what we’re doing at AEW right now, and I think wrestlers around the world want to be here. AEW’s where the best wrestle and we’re seeing women and men across pro wrestling have shown that this is where so many of the greatest stars have chosen to be. This is where we are wrestling at the highest level. We’re putting on tremendous shows, and with this lineup of wrestlers and the big events we have set to come, people want to be here, and the fans are tuning in. We’ve got great support. We have a great audience in the UK. We had a huge viewership year on ITV, our best yet. Great growth on ITV. And recently, we’ve seen great growth here on TBS as well.”
– Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO
Positive Momentum for AEW at the Start of 2026
Khan detailed how AEW is off to a strong beginning in 2026, citing back-to-back weeks of impressive viewership and fan engagement. He pointed out notable audience increases from recent broadcasts, particularly for AEW Collision in the US and their ITV programming in the UK.
The company’s progress came on the heels of a successful 2025 season that built significant excitement, culminating in a memorable “World’s End” event. Khan also acknowledged praise from longtime AEW supporters, reinforcing the company’s upward trajectory.
“We’re off to a great start in 2026. These past few weeks have been our best back-to-back weeks in a really long time. And I’m very excited about what’s happening in AEW. We also just had a huge lift for AEW Collision here in the US, and that kind of growth, and the audience we’ve seen, whether it’s ITV for the UK or whether it’s here on TBS Wednesdays, TNT Saturdays, we’re having a really, really great start to 2026. People loved the shows in 2025, and I think that helped build uh a lot of momentum. We ended on a very strong note with a great world’s end. And to have somebody who’s watched AEW from the very beginning, like you Will, say that you think this is the best AEW’s ever been, that’s very high praise. I really appreciate it.”
– Tony Khan, AEW President and CEO
Upcoming AEW Event Featuring MJF and Hangman Page
The excitement within AEW continues to build as reigning AEW World Champion MJF prepares to face former champion Hangman Page in a highly anticipated title match at AEW Revolution. The live event will take place at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California. Fans can watch the show live on TBS starting at 8:00 pm ET, with a simultaneous stream available on HBO Max.
This face-to-face interaction between MJF and Hangman Page on the upcoming Dynamite episode is generating considerable buzz and is expected to set the tone for their championship clash, further elevating AEW’s compelling storylines and expanding audience interest.
