Tony Khan has celebrated the arrival of CMLL’s stars to AEW and hopes a relationship can continue to be forged.
It was first announced during an episode of AEW Rampage that the starts of CMLL would be making their way over to All Elite Wrestling in the near future. We are now weeks removed from the original announcement and we’ve already seen the likes of Henchicero, Mistico, Mascara Dorada, and Volador Jr. in numerous matches against the BCC, and other members of the AEW roster.
Tony Khan spoke recently in an interview with SportsGrid where he would speak on a variety of different topics, including their relationship with CMLL, NJPW, the first annual Continental Classic, and the upcoming Forbidden Door 3.
When asked if Khan would like to have CMLL potentially involved in this year’s Forbidden Door, he responded by saying he absolutely wants CMLL involved and he is overjoyed at the potential success of their promotions working together.
“100% yes. I definitely want CMLL involved in practically anything we do, they’re such a great partner already. It’s been great. It’s in the first year of the partnership and we’ve been able to do some really exciting things working with them”
-Tony Khan
So far within the confines of AEW, numerous CMLL stars have made their in-ring debut or return for AEW. Mistico defeated Matt Sydal on the February 7 edition of Rampage, Henchicero would be defeated by Bryan Danielson, and the tag team of Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli would be victorious over the tag team of Esfinge and Star Jr.
Tony Khan would continue to discuss business relations in the wrestling world in general as well as heading into Forbidden Door 3, as he took a moment to celebrate their opportunities to be able to work alongside NJPW and their new president, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
“New Japan has a great, young roster right now. President (Hiroshi) Tanahashi is a perfect leader for the organization at the right time & it’s great working with New Japan & CMLL. I’m very excited about Forbidden Door 3”
-Tony Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi was named NJPW’s new president in December of 2023, Tanahashi himself has competed at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door as he went toe to toe in a losing battle with Jon Moxley at the first Forbidden Door PPV.
While 2024 would potentially be the first year CMLL could be involved in AEW’s Forbidden Door PPV, this would mark the third year in a row the card was filled out with AEW and NJPW talent.
Tony Khan was also quizzed on if there happened to be a specific moment in which he and AEW were attempting to implement a new style or presentation. Khan would respond by celebrating the success of the first annual Continental Classic, as well as the addition of AEW’s newest televised program, Collision.
“I really believe that the Continental Classic, it was something I wanted do for a long time, but it was just the right time, we had the right group of wrestlers and the ability with 5 hours of TV now with Collision and I think we’ve found a great groove in 2024. It’s been, in my opinion, like you said, the vibes around the company are strong as they’ve ever been. I don’t know if it was trying out different styles, different things, but I know that we’ve hit on something right now that is some of the best AEW we’ve ever done.”
-Tony Khan
The eventual winner of the first ever Continental Classic, Eddie Kingston would reign victorious after the tournament culminated in a one on one match between Kingston and The American Dragon, Bryan Danielson. Eddie would be victorious on that night, thus earning the honour of becoming the first ever AEW/ROH/NJPW Triple Crown Champion.
Finally, Tony Khan would take time to discuss where he feels AEW is right now in the grand scheme of things heading into Revolution in 2024, Khan would also vaguely touch on some of the insanity playing out in the world of wrestling that is more important than the business itself.
“I think right now is the best AEW has been. In Q1 2024 going into Revolution, it’s an exciting time for the Wrestling business. There are a lot of crazy things happening, and it’s a really important time in wrestling for a variety of reasons. Some things outside of wrestling that are bigger than wrestling. But for us, we’re doing the best wrestling we’ve ever done in AEW right now.”
-Tony Khan
Revolution 2024 will also include the final match of The Icon Sting, who looks to end his decades long career as he and Darby Allin defend their newly won AEW World Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks, Nicholas and Matthew Jackson.
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