Tony Khan is looking forward to facing off against WWE SmackDown next Friday night.
Last night, it was announced that on Friday, October 15, WWE would be presenting a "Supersized" edition of SmackDown that would run for 2 hours and 30 minutes. The extra half-hour meant that it would overlap with a live AEW Rampage, marking the first time AEW would go head-to-head with one of WWE's main roster shows.
Khan commented on the news yesterday, saying that he can't wait to finally beat WWE's main show. In the time since then, he has issued a couple of replies on Twitter to fan remarks, indicating that he's not concerned about the outcome.
If I’m not sweating it, you shouldn’t be either. This is what sports are about, set a goal & try your best. We’ve got a great #AEWRampage card Friday + big Dynamite matches Saturday. I expect to do well, but regardless of next Friday’s stats, it’ll be a great weekend for the fans
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 9, 2021
Seeing all of the conversation around the topic, Khan issued yet another statement in which he said that he is trying to recreate the competitive spirit of the 90s wrestling scene while avoiding the errors that WCW made. Also, he notes that he has years' worth of big matches for AEW up his sleeve.
Twitter’s the child of the boards/chat rooms that thrived during the 90s wrestling war; part of my business plan is recreating that competitive spirit while avoiding WCW’s errors, which is why I pace/don’t blow thru matches. @AEW has many years’ worth of big matches up my sleeve.
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 9, 2021
Three of AEW's most recent signings; Bryan Danielson, Ruby Soho, and Adam Cole are all coming off of extended runs with WWE. Khan has mentioned in the past how he hopes to use free agency to bring back some interest in pro wrestling.
He has also compared the current AEW roster to WCW 1997, which had a mix of established stars and future headliners.
For a rundown of last night's episodes of SmackDown and Rampage, check out Fightful's post-show review.
