Credit: All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling
When AEW launched six years ago, it marked the start of a new era in professional wrestling, as a fresh, competitive company entered the landscape determined to make a statement. That debut came with Dynamite, a weekly episodic television show airing Wednesday nights, which brought variety to the wrestling world and offered fans something different to watch.
At the helm is company president Tony Khan, who has guided AEW from its inception through expanded media rights deals, a growing pay-per-view schedule, and now to the sixth anniversary of its flagship show on Oct. 1.
Ahead of the milestone, Khan reflected on the history of Dynamite with Forbes, Brodie Lee’s lasting legacy, Kris Statlander’s championship win at All Out, and what to expect from the anniversary episode.
Rob Wolkenbrod: Looking back at the debut of Dynamite, what was your original vision, and how has both that vision, and your perspective that night, evolved over the past six years?
Tony Khan: I think it’s an incredible milestone that we’re celebrating six years of Wednesday Night Dynamite tonight. Where the company stands now is far beyond anything I could have imagined, shows on TBS every Wednesday, Collision on TNT Saturdays, events and our library on HBO Max, and pay-per-views available worldwide. It’s incredible.
After six years, there’s still so much to do. We’re just getting started, and that’s very exciting.
Earlier this year we marked another milestone with Dynamite episode 289, the “Spring Breakthrough” show. Many fans called it their favorite episode, but it was also significant because it made Dynamite the longest-running primetime pro wrestling show ever on TBS or TNT. That history goes back decades, wrestling on TBS since 1971 and TNT since 1995, so for Dynamite to hold that record is huge.
I’m also really excited about our roster. I believe the best wrestlers in the world are here in AEW. Many of the top young stars, plus veterans with worldwide reputations, are part of this company. We’ve had great talent from year one and great free-agent signings along the way. I’m proud of what we’ve built over six years, and I think there’s still room for growth.
Wolkenbrod: Looking back, which moments do you see as the true turning points in AEW’s journey, the ones that forced you to rethink or adjust course?
Khan: I think the biggest changes came in March 2020, when we started running all of the AEW events at Daily’s Place. We ran shows there for over a year, and they were great. We were able to keep AEW going every week, and there was so much spirit and fight from our team as they showed up to wrestle and deliver great matches. During that period, we built some of the greatest rivalries in AEW history. It was a tremendous positive for the company that we were able to prove, on a level playing field, that AEW was putting on the best wrestling shows every week. I think that helped build a worldwide reputation for AEW.
In 2021, when we went back on the road, there was incredible excitement. It has been great to be back, but I still look back on those days in Jacksonville very fondly. I am also looking forward to returning there after we celebrate the six-year anniversary live tonight. We will be going back to Daily’s Place, and those homecoming events will be very special for the wrestlers and staff of AEW. We will be celebrating not only six years of Wednesday Night Dynamite, but also returning to the venue that has hosted more episodes of Dynamite than any other arena in the world. That will be a really meaningful moment for us following the anniversary show.
Wolkenbrod: Brodie Lee’s time in AEW was brief but left a huge impact, both on the roster and the fans. Looking back now, what do you feel his legacy means to the company six years in?
Khan: I think that Mr. Brodie Lee was a phenomenal person. He’s an incredible wrestler who came to AEW right as that aforementioned lockdown hit. His first appearance in AEW ever was actually the first of that long run of events in Daily’s Place. He appeared for the very first time in what were challenging circumstances for AEW. Still, he was one of those great faces that made AEW even stronger during 2020, in what were obviously very unique circumstances, having the shows at first with no paid fans, and then AEW actually was the first to bring paid fans back, so there were ticketed fans in a limited capacity that did see Lee wrestling in AEW, and I am proud of that.
We’re very proud of Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Huber and what he brought to AEW. Jon was a great guy in a wonderful family, and he loved wrestling. And it’s a testament to Jon Huber and Brodie Lee as a wrestler, that the first two things anybody’s going to say about this guy are he loved his family, and he loved wrestling and the wrestlers and people that he worked with.
We really wanted to get those messages across on the tribute show, and I believe we succeeded. I think that’s the singular best event in AEW history. It was important to end 2020, which was a significant year for the company, paying tribute to somebody who came in and helped us so much as a wrestling company and touched our lives as a friend and a coworker and to pay tribute to him and his family, who he loved so much.
If those were the goals of the event, which they were, then we succeeded in accomplishing that with that tribute show. Anybody who watched that show would say that guy loved his family, and he loved wrestling, and the other wrestlers clearly really loved him.
Wolkenbrod: Over six years, AEW has built its reputation on big surprises and shocking moments. How do you decide when to pull the trigger on those, such as Kris Statlander defeating Toni Storm at All Out, and how do you make sure they serve the long-term story rather than just the short-term reaction?
Khan: There have been so many great moments and reasons to celebrate in AEW, and All Out was a phenomenal event. One of the real highlights, in my opinion, was Kris Statlander finally winning the World Championship after six years in AEW. She had accomplished so much already, she had beaten top stars, became the TBS Champion, and had some of the greatest matches for that title. She had been a strong world title challenger, but it had been four years since her last shot.
To come back at All Out four years later and defeat Timeless Toni Storm, one of the most popular and most talented professional wrestlers I have ever worked with, was incredibly special. Toni had faced all the top competition over the past seven months, been part of some of the most memorable matches and moments in AEW, and chose to take on three challengers in one night. It cost her dearly, and Statlander, a very deserving challenger, captured the championship.
Kris has been one of AEW’s top stars. She has battled through long injuries, come back with a great mindset, and always carried one of the best attitudes in the company. She has shown hard work, talent, and the kind of dedication that earns the respect of fellow wrestlers, the fans, and the people who run AEW. Over the past six years, she has done everything possible to put herself in position to win a world title, and I am so happy she did it at All Out.
Defeating one of AEW’s greatest champions, possibly the greatest in Toni Storm, made the moment even more meaningful. All Out has always been one of our signature events, and this year one of the most special parts of the show was Kris Statlander finally becoming World Champion.
Wolkenbrod: How do you see plans coming through for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship?
Khan: I’m very excited about the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship coming to AEW this year. Throughout 2025, the women’s division has been delivering more great matches and rivalries than ever before, and so many top stars have continued to emerge.
We’ve had amazing signings, like Mercedes Moné, who came in as a free agent and is now the TBS Champion, and if you look back a few years, Toni Storm joined AEW and went on to become one of our greatest champions. Along the way, we’ve added so many talented faces. Kris Statlander, who’s been here from the early years, has become a top star in her own right.
More recently, we’ve also seen the rise of some very interesting and very talented women’s tag teams. With the roster at its strongest, the highest quality it’s ever been, I think now is the perfect time to introduce the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships. Women’s wrestling in AEW is the best it’s ever been, and these titles will make it even stronger.
Wolkenbrod: The Young Bucks’ consistent evolution has been central to Dynamite’s identity. How do you keep long-tenured stars like them fresh?
Khan: It’s important to look at the wrestlers, and the way every wrestler is involved in AEW, on a case-by-case basis. There’s no single process or formula that works for everyone—in any company, or in any sport, let alone pro wrestling, which is the only sport that runs 52 weeks a year with no offseason.
I think Matt and Nick came back fresher and better than ever in 2025, and that’s coming from someone who’s been on the receiving end of the most deadly move in pro wrestling at their hands, so I’m probably the last person who should be out here singing their praises.
However, I’ll be the first to say that the Young Bucks are a huge part of AEW.
They were one of the major reasons we were able to launch the company six years ago. They’ve been involved since the very first Dynamite, and when they came back in shocking fashion this past April at AEW Dynasty after several months away, I think they started doing the best wrestling of their AEW careers.
In my opinion, they’re wrestling at the highest level today, and what’s happening with their on-screen lives has been fascinating—the development of their personalities, their humanity, their vulnerability, and the way they’re clearly having fun. It all comes across on screen. The fans have always engaged with and been interested in the Young Bucks, because Matt and Nick are two of the most talented wrestlers in the world and people of great character. This year, I truly believe they’re the best they’ve ever been.
From their return at Dynasty, to their role in Anarchy in the Arena, to their tag team match at All In Texas, which I consider one of the greatest tag team matches I’ve ever seen, the Young Bucks have continued to build an incredible legacy. Several of the greatest matches in AEW history involve them, and this one could be near the very top of that list. Their accomplishments in AEW alone could fill hours of discussion, not to mention everything they achieved on the independents, in Ring of Honor, and in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
And today, I think the Young Bucks are at their peak, going into tonight’s show with an incredible match ahead: teaming with Josh Alexander, who recently attacked Kenny Omega in an attempt to put him on the shelf, against Omega and the World Tag Team Champions, Brody King and Bandido, known together as Brodido. Coming out of that amazing four-way ladder match at All Out, and knowing what can happen anytime the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are in the ring together, I’m very excited for tonight’s show.
Wolkenbrod: As AEW celebrates Dynamite’s anniversary, what can fans expect from the next evolution of the show?
Khan: It’s going to be an exciting show tonight, and the milestone it represents—six years—is an incredible accomplishment. To have a six-year celebration with the company in such a strong position, with so many stars doing the best work of their careers, and so many wrestlers at the height of their powers, makes this moment very special. AEW is having a great 2025. If you’ve never seen AEW, or if it’s been a long time since you checked it out, I think tonight is the perfect time to watch.
The fans have united this year, and the shows have been excellent. AEW has been delivering great pay-per-views for years, but I think 2025 has been our most consistent run of both TV and pay-per-views. That’s my opinion, but I know a lot of fans share it. We’ve grown the television audience, and that’s a fact, especially with HBO Max coming on board. Some thought that Dynamite on TBS and Collision on TNT might lose viewers to HBO Max, but in 2025 our viewership has actually gone up compared to where we ended last year. If you look at Q4 of 2024, and then all of 2025—first quarter, second quarter, and now as we wrap up the third—we’re ahead of where we finished 2024. It’s been a really great year.
That doesn’t even factor in the new viewers or the lapsed fans who came back through HBO Max. Over the past six years, some of our viewers likely cut the cord, and now they have a way to watch again, which is very exciting. We’ve accomplished so much, but there’s still so much more ahead. I think tonight’s going to be a fantastic event.
I’m very proud of the company, and I’m very proud of our champions—like Hangman Adam Page and Kris Statlander, who have been with AEW from the very beginning and earned these opportunities. We also have our TNT Champion, Kyle Fletcher, defending tonight against one of AEW’s greatest stars ever. He’s facing Orange Cassidy, one of the all-time legends of AEW, who’s been involved in some of our biggest moments and best matches. On our digital platforms, he’s one of the most beloved and most-watched wrestlers in AEW history, yet he’s never been TNT Champion before. That could change tonight, when Orange challenges Fletcher—not just for the title, but also for some payback after the Don Callis Family attacked his good friend Hologram and robbed him of his opportunity to compete for the championship. We’re wishing Hologram a speedy recovery, and I know he’ll be watching very closely tonight for this special anniversary show.
Wolkenbrod: When fans look back 10 or 20 years from now, how do you want AEW to be remembered?
Khan: As we head into the six-year anniversary show tonight, AEW is still making great memories, maybe more than ever. This year we had our highest U.S. attendance at All In Texas, which I believe was the greatest show we’ve ever done. That kind of success is only possible because AEW has the best wrestlers in the world, an incredible staff, and the most loyal fans we could ever hope for.
I’m very proud that we’re celebrating six years tonight on TBS and HBO Max. I always look forward to these anniversaries, both as milestones and as opportunities to think about the future. Ten years from now, at the 16-year anniversary of Dynamite, I believe AEW will still be going strong. Our goal is to continue as the place where the best wrestle for many years to come, and I think tonight’s show will demonstrate exactly that.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.