It’s no secret that Tony Khan has been a wrestling fan his whole life. From attending wrestling shows to writing his own in notebooks, to now being the President, CEO, and General Manager of AEW.
Unlike promoters and bookers who have come before him, Khan didn’t really get to grow under the learning tree or experience of other bookers, rather, learning from the past in both history and his own mistakes while running AEW.
In an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Tony said that while he didn’t have the apprenticeship that many before him had, he’s been told he is most similar to Paul Heyman.
“The person I have people come up to me and say, as far as being a fan who was around pro wrestling and wrestlers for a long time and then jumped into the business, the person I think I get compared to most often of, ‘You remind me of this person,’ I think we’re really different people and I haven’t talked to him or gotten or see him in a really long time is Paul. Paul Heyman, not the other Paul (Levesque). I grew up on that ECW stuff. Our products are different, he’s a genius and I’m not trying to compare the mindset at all, but as far as trying to keep your finger on the pulse of fans, during a commercial break, even going out and talking to fans and trying to keep them excited during the show, it means a lot to me. I’ve gotten to learn a lot from a lot of people in the wrestling business without having that official apprenticeship. I love the business so much.”
Tony Khan
Paul Heyman got his start in the business as a photojournalist, writing for wrestling events, and hosting his own radio show in New York before eventually landing on-screen and running ECW.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription
