All Elite Wrestling has found success in its early years as a national pro wrestling promotion, but the company has not been without some criticism. A handful of former wrestlers who worked for the promotion have discussed communication issues backstage, while others have voiced their frustration about getting TV time on AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage. All of this has led to reports of there being issues backstage issues. Tony Khan, the promotion’s president, addressed those reports while on Superstar Crossover with Josh Martinez this week.
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“We have a great crew,” Khan began, talking about the recent backstage hirings and moves to improve the talent relations team. “We’re very happy with the shows we’ve been doing. We have a great team of people. I recently did some promotions and added to the team. With a new group, hopefully, the communication is only going to get better because I can only be in so many places at one time and talk to so many people with such a big team. I think that’ll help. In general, I think we have a really great environment and a great backstage. Overall, it’s been a great summer for us and it’s only going to get better. A lot of the biggest stars in AEW have been out, so it’s been great for us to maintain this position. Last week, on Wednesday night, AEW Dynamite, number one show on all of cable. That’s been the case six out of the last seven weeks. That kind of consistency has been thanks to our wrestlers, our staff, and most importantly the wrestling fans that have kept us going. Friday Night Rampage, we did our best number in a long time, being top five on Friday on cable.”
He continued — “There is a lot of really good camaraderie and momentum. I can’t get everybody on the show. It is challenging, in some ways, when you have three hours of television. I get that, if you’re looking at a competitor that has seven hours of television, the people in that company are twice as likely to be on TV if you look at it that way. It’s very competitive for spots, but it also means people have to do the most to maximize the time they do get, wherever it is, whether it’s on TV or streaming, and I do think our TV show and the participation we’ve had from fans and why we all feel so good this year to is, it’s great to be back on the road this last year after doing the shows in lockdown and a sometimes empty stadium. Overall, I think the vibe is positive and we’re all really excited. It’s a big time of year for AEW with All Out coming up, one of the biggest events on the calendar, and we approach one of our biggest TV event of the year, coming up to New York for AEW Grand Slam.”
This week’s Dynamite has a special Quake By The Lake theme. Check out the full card for the show below:
- Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho
- Darby Allin vs. Brody King (Coffin Match)
- TBS Championship: Jade Cargill vs. Madison Rayne
- The Lucha Bros. vs. Andrade & Rush
- Ricky Starks vs. Aaron Solow
- FTR vs. TBA
