AEW All Out Media Scrum News & Notes: Tony Khan Talks on Earlier PPV Start Times, Opening With Cope & Cage, and More
AEW just wrapped a monster All Out weekend in Toronto, and Tony Khan used the post-show media scrum to hint that afternoon pay-per-views might become a pattern—not a one-off. Between surging UK numbers and a strong debut on HBO Max, the AEW President sounded bullish on experimenting with start times to better serve global audiences.
Below is a breakdown of the most newsworthy exchanges (with reporter prompts and Tony’s direct responses), plus what it all means.
👉 Media scrum video here
What Happened (and Why It Matters)
Q: Will AEW make earlier PPV start times permanent?
Reporter (Poisonrana’s Davie Portman): You moved All Out earlier in the day. It’s far more convenient for the UK and Europe. Would you consider making that permanent?
Tony Khan: “It’s definitely something to think about… It’s been tremendous for three straight pay-per-views… we’ve had great results, great buys from the UK, the TV ratings in the UK are through the roof… Whether it’s Saturday or Sunday, it’s definitely given me something to think about.”
Read: Afternoon PPVs (U.S. time) put the show in UK prime time—and the data is backing it up. Expect more “daytime in America / primetime in Europe” events, especially on Saturdays.
Q: Why open All Out with Copeland & Cage vs. FTR?
Reporter (Toronto Sun): From a creative POV, why did Copeland & Cage vs. FTR kick off the show?
Khan: “With a 3:00 PM Eastern, noon Pacific start, I wanted ‘a milestone’ you could set the time to… ‘Look, that’s when this is going on.’ It created urgency around the pay-per-view to put such an important historic match in that prominent position.”
Read: The hot opener wasn’t just vibes—it was conversion psychology for a new timeslot: put a marquee match at the top, spike tune-in, keep them hooked.
Q: How is the HBO Max expansion impacting TV?
Reporter (John Pollock): Any learnings from simulcasting Dynamite/Collision on HBO Max?
Khan: “The linear audience has been very strong… We’ve seen growth on TBS/TNT while adding new viewers on HBO Max… If you put a gun to my head, I might pick TBS because you usually get 12–15 more minutes of wrestling due to picture-in-picture… but HBO Max is clearly pulling younger fans.”
Read: AEW sees complementary audiences: older demos sticking with cable; younger viewers stacking on Max. That’s a healthy distribution mix.
Q: UK market strategy?
Reporter (Screen Off Script): How are you growing in the UK?
Khan: “Right now the audience for AEW in the UK is the highest it’s ever been… Dynamite up over 40% YoY on ITV; Collision up over 100% vs. Rampage in that slot… We’ll hit Wales and debut Manchester; Continental Classic will run in the UK in December.”
Read: AEW’s UK business is hot—bigger TV audiences and premium live events anchoring the calendar around All In at Wembley.
Q: All in one house—are PPVs moving fully to streaming?
Reporter: With UFC’s Paramount+ deal, could AEW go all-in under one roof?
Khan: “In the U.S., everything is already TBS/TNT/HBO Max… Tonight was the first HBO Max pay-per-view and the early feedback is a huge success… Our PPV year has been great.”
Read: No “goodbye cable” announcement here, but AEW’s ecosystem with WBD is already unified stateside—and Max PPVs look like they’re here to stay.
Q: Surprises, returns, Blood & Guts?
Various: On returns (e.g., Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus), potential Blood & Guts, Nyla Rose, Ring of Honor visibility.
Khan (highlights):
- Blood & Guts: “Good chance”—requires special two-ring seating maps.
- Returns: “Door is open.”
- ROH: “Really strong” recent run; selective integration with AEW TV.
Read: Expect strategic special attractions and more ROH cross-pollination when it fits the story.
Other Notables (Quick Hits)
- Beth Phoenix moment: Khan praised the surprise but lamented the post-match angle’s brutality—teasing unresolved heat in that story world.
- Numbers flex: “One of the highest-grossing AEW pay-per-views in history,” biggest Canadian ticket sales for an AEW event, and another $1M+ gate.
- Tone check: Khan repeatedly cited “pressure” with WBD brass in the building—and credited the roster for “home run after home run.”
🎙️ Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
AEW has three data points in a row saying “earlier works”—All In, Forbidden Door, and All Out all posted big UK performance and strong global buys with afternoon U.S. starts. Khan’s comments weren’t a hard confirmation, but they read like a pilot turning into a product strategy. Put simply: “Daytime in the States, primetime in Europe” sells.
Pair that with Max pay-per-views testing cleanly and you’ve got a distribution model that captures cord-cutters without cannibalizing cable. Smartly, AEW is also using the early slot to front-load urgency (Copeland/Cage vs. FTR at 3 PM ET) and teach fans a new viewing habit. If the Wembley machine is the flywheel, UK-friendly timing is the grease.
