Ric Flair thinks Tony Khan should let someone else book AEW.
Tony Khan, the owner and CEO of All Elite Wrestling, has been the company's booker for the duration of its existence, and he took a more hands-on approach at the beginning of 2020. Since then, the company has continued to grow. His booking is often the source of some criticism, and two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair suggested that someone else should get the pencil.
Speaking on his To Be The Man podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer was discussing WWE's strong ratings, and he shared his belief that AEW should be getting better ratings by now. He claimed that less people are watching AEW than ever before. Flair then stated that the company should be averaging a million viewers every show.
"It’s a big roster that’s getting an 800 credit score. 840,000 viewers, so the great roster ain’t getting the numbers. If you’re going anywhere in terms of numbers, are the numbers not reflective of the number of people that watch it? Less people are watching than ever. I’m not being critical of anything. I’m just saying that the greatest roster in the world… would you not agree after three years they should stay at [one million viewers] at least? Do you not think, after three years, that they should be averaging a one [rating] every week?" Flair said,.
Co-host Conrad Thompson disagreed with Flair's claim that AEW should be getting one million viewers on a regular basis. Flair then repeated repeated his previous claim that he doesn't hear anyone talking about AEW. He noted that in the old days, one could tell if something was "going on" by hearing conversations about it at the airport. Flair then joked that he heard people talk more about his documentary, "Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair."
“I’m out a lot, I do a lot of autographs signings and [stuff like] that. As I told you, in the old days, I could through an airport and I knew there was something going on. I don’t hear anything [about AEW]. I hear more about my documentary," Flair said with a laugh.
When asked what he would do if he was in Khan’s position, and how he would grow the audience, Flair recommended that someone else should book the company. He described how Khan has plenty of other responsibilities that he's passionate about, including his work with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC. Flair also brought up Vince McMahon stepping back and Triple H taking over WWE as an example.
“I would continue to own the company, but I would let somebody fresh book it. He runs it, but he’s also very invested personally in that football [team], which he takes a lot of pride in, and the Jaguars are getting better. Tony has to divide his time and his passion between two things. Sometimes, you know how Vince doesn’t like to delegate authority? In this case, he’s delegated a lot of authority or however it transpired to Hunter, and it’s working. But he still has his hand on it, I’m sure. So that’s what I would suggest to Tony. Maybe step back and let somebody take a look at it. I just think sometimes if you take a step back and find somebody…. I would find somebody that I had confidence in and take some of the pressure off of the management of the booking end of it," Flair said.
The WWE Hall of Famer went on to describe how he thinks the talent, or at least some of the top stars like Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, books themselves. He then repeated that he thinks someone else should get a chance to book AEW. Flair again drew a comparison with WWE and the way the company has changed.
“WWE has agreed in principle to let their things work in a chain, moving people in and out. Tony hasn’t changed a thing in three years. Why not give somebody else a shot? This is not knocking Tony. I’m just saying, he doesn’t miss a football game. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t attend some practices. Plus he runs a soccer team over in Europe. So why not try plugging somebody else in, just to see how it works? Someone that could tell everybody, ‘Hey, this is the way it’s gonna be. If you don’t like it, the WWE’s not gonna take all of you, I can guarantee it. Not at the money you’re making here," Flair said.
AEW Dynamite drew over a million viewers on February 22; the number was the show's highest since October 2022. More information is available here.
Flair recently stated that he has made $669,000 on Cameo. Check out his comments here.
Check out the card for the March 1 episode of AEW Dynamite here.
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