Tony Khan On WWE's Big Changes: "Great Wrestlers Are Going To Be In Demand"

All Elite Wrestling founder and CEO Tony Khan has spoken at length on WWE's recent executive shakeup for the first time, doing so on SportsGrid.

WWE, the pro wrestling market leaders, are in the midst of major changes. Vince McMahon stepped down as CEO and Chairman on 22 July, doing so following allegations of attempting to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct through over $12 million in "hush money" payments. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have been appointed co-CEOs in his absence. Meanwhile, Triple H has not only returned to his old Executive Vice President position, but has become WWE's creative lead as well.

Khan believes that the changes are good for wrestling as a whole. The nature of AEW's competition with WWE is going to change, in his eyes, which he doesn't see as a bad thing for fans.

Said Khan (h/t Figure Four Online/Wrestling Observer):-

“It’s going to change the competition, but I think that’s a good thing. AEW’s got a big fan base. We’re in 130 countries now around the world, and here in the US, we’ve built a great fanbase. And the competition is going to change. It’s a different person in the chair opposite me but I don’t think that’s going to be a bad thing for the wrestling fans, necessarily.”

Continuing, Khan commented on what this will mean for wrestlers. Like many others, he believes that the demand for great talent will now be stiffer than ever, referencing how the market shifted following WCW's demise in 2001:-

“Probably more so than ever, I imagine that great wrestlers are going to be in demand. And again, I think this is probably going to be good for the wrestling fans because that’s one of the most exciting things about pro wrestling is free agency. It’s one of those things that was really missing from the sport for almost two decades before AEW came in, because there was not a legitimate competitor in the free agent market, and now there is...one of the worst things, I think, that happened in American sports, in my lifetime, was when WCW closed down.”

While Vince McMahon moved away from signing established independent wrestlers with considerable experience towards the end of his tenure, it is believed Triple H will veer back in this direction without completely abandoning WWE's new developmental focus.

Triple H's appointment has brought a notable shift in attitudes towards WWE, from wrestlers and fans alike. This week's Raw popped a monster rating on the back of this excitement. For talent, 'The Game' leading creative (and Vince departing) has made the market leaders a more attractive proposition across the board. It'll therefore be interesting to see how the American wrestling scene shifts over the coming months and years.