OVW Co-Owner Matt Jones Reveals How Relationship With AEW's Tony Khan Began (Exclusive)

Jones got connected with Khan due to his friendship with Tony Schiavone.

By Liam Crowley

Ohio Valley Wrestling carries on. The former developmental territory still runs today, running weekly televised broadcasts on local networks in the Louisville, Kentucky area. Unlike its past ties to WWE and TNA Impact Wrestling, OVW has no "parent promotion" as it operates as its own entity under the guidance of WWE legend Al Snow. Snow, who spent the years after his full-time in-ring career as a backstage producer in various companies, purchased OVW in 2018. With the company facing significant financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, current Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg and radio host Matt Jones purchased a majority stake in OVW.

How Did OVW's Relationship With AEW Begin? 

OVW-AEW-MATT-JONES-TONY-KHAN-WRESTLERS-NETFLIX
(Photo: AEW, OVW)

As chronicled in Netflix's Wrestlers docuseries, OVW co-owner Matt Jones helped connect his promotion to AEW. Speaking to ComicBook.com in promotion of Wrestlers, Jones revealed that his relationship with AEW President Tony Khan was birthed out of his pre-existing friendship with AEW announcer Tony Schiavone.

"I'm friends with Tony Schiavone. Tony Schiavone was doing Georgia basketball and football broadcast on the radio, and I do Kentucky stuff," Jones said. "I met him and we kind of became friends. So, then when he became part of AEW, I reached out to him. He invited us down to a show during COVID in Jacksonville and I met Tony, and we kind of hit it off. Then we thought about doing some stuff with Tony."

As shown in the docuseries, that relationship led to OVW talent working matches on AEW Dark.

"We have a relationship with him (Khan). I wish we had even more of one," Jones continued. "It didn't totally work out, but he's been good to us. A lot of our people he's had on AEW Dark, and hopefully that's a relationship that continues to grow."

Beyond Khan and Schiavone, Jones pointed to QT Marshall as being a strong ally within AEW. After that, the list essentially ends.

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"QT Marshall's another one," Jones added. "It's funny. I know no one in wrestling. No one. I know Al [Snow]. And then I knew Schiavone from outside of wrestling. So Tony Khan's the only person I know, and it's kind of funny because he's one of the most prominent people in the industry."

The story of Ohio Valley Wrestling's resurrection is chronicled in Wrestlers, a seven-episode docuseries now streaming on Netflix.

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