Speaking with News 12 ahead of AEW‘s Wednesday event at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York City, Tony Khan took a shot at WWE’s Saudi Arabia deal and its upcoming Crown Jewel event.
“We’re running a lot of great shows around the Northeast — It’s so many great wrestling markets in one geographic region. I’ll say it, the crown jewel of wrestling markets — the real crown jewel of wrestling markets, not some BS overseas in Saudi Arabia,” Khan said.
“New York City is where you want to be. And I love, love, love New York. And as a wrestling fan, I’ve had a special connection to the city. Some of my first memories of watching sporting sports in New York are watching the Bulls and the Knicks and watching the Bears and the Giants. … But, really, for me, wrestling has been my first love, so as a sports fan you can’t be a wrestling fan without loving New York City [and] without having this great connection to the fans up here,” Khan continued.
Tony went on to say that this year’s AEW Grand Slam event is the highest-grossing TV event the company has done since launching in 2019.