Tony Khan addresses AEW’s 200th episode and being called a ‘secondary promotion’ by Triple H

When Tony Khan was writing imaginary episodes of a pro-wrestling show called Dynamite as a teenager, he became well-versed in the art of building characters and storylines. That’s become a big part of the All Elite Wrestling CEO’s origin story, but he said he never managed to sustain any of his fantasy-booked federations for 200 episodes in a row.

Tonight, he’ll do it in real life when AEW Dynamite airs its milestone 200th show live from the Yuengling Center in Tampa.

“I’ve easily written 200” imaginary episodes of TV as a youngster, “but never in the same league. In real life, not that many shows make it to this point. It’s a special milestone in TV and in pro wrestling.”

Airing from Florida is a real home-state advantage for AEW, which is based in Jacksonville, ran dozens of shows from there during the pandemic and has also visited Orlando and South Florida multiple times. But tonight will be the four-year-old promotion’s first show from Tampa.

Khan said tonight’s show will include the first match announcements and buildup for All In, which is set for Aug. 27 from Wembley Stadium. At last check, more than 77,000 tickets had been sold before announcing a single match. Khan said he always intended to save the first All In push for Tampa and episode 200.

“Looking at the path we’d be on this summer towards All In at Wembley, I always felt tonight in Tampa would be the perfect place to begin match announcements and officially take that next step,” Khan said. “It’s perfect timing, the perfect amount of excitement. The 200th episode is important to the network and to the fans. It’s a major milestone for Dynamite, and it happens to be four weeks out from All In.”

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Tonight’s stop includes a trios match with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks — a huge part of AEW’s origin story — facing Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh.

Current AEW world champion MJF and former title-holders Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley also are scheduled.

“It’s so exciting that some of the stars that have been with AEW since the beginning are part of this show,” Khan said. “It’s a very important part of the company’s history.”

Khan to Triple H: ‘We’re not taking a back seat to anybody’

Another integral cog in AEW’s inception was Cody Rhodes, who left the company in 2021 to begin a second stint in WWE.

Rhodes said in a new WWE-produced documentary that he left AEW over a personal issue, but WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque criticized AEW and put forth a different take. Levesque said Rhodes is “taking that gamble again [in WWE] and saying, ‘I didn’t grow up dreaming of being the champion of a secondary promotion.’”

Khan took exception to Levesque’s remark, citing ticket sales approaching 80,000 for the upcoming All In show in London.

“We certainly won’t be the secondary promotion at All In,” he said. “We’re No. 1 in the UK, on TV and with a record gate. I have a lot of respect for Cody. I know these weren’t his words, to be fair, but we’re not secondary in a lot of markets — for the first time in a long time, WWE has been secondary in a lot of markets. … I’m proud of where we’re at and we’re not taking a back seat to anybody.”

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‘Captivating’ Cole-MJF team is bigger than expected, bay-bay

One of the hottest storylines in the company is the tag-team union of Adam Cole and MJF. A random tournament drawing brought them together earlier this summer, and despite customarily residing on different sides of the good-guy/bad-guy spectrum, they have formed a bond — sometimes genuine, sometimes tenuous, but always entertaining.

The tag team’s T-shirt emblazoned “Better Than You, Bay-Bay” is AEW’s top seller of the year, and Khan said the team’s popularity has surprised even him. MJF is scheduled for an interview segment tonight in Tampa.

“You hope that it gets hot, but this has gotten red hot, and fans are so excited about it that it’s one of the great success stories in AEW’s history,” Khan said. “It’s a story that may be relatable in some ways, fans may be living vicariously through it in other ways, but it’s great to see the whole world get behind this bromance between two dudes who nobody expected to see click quite like this.”

Many people expected the short-term team to lead to a quick breakup and an imminent world-title match between Cole and MJF, but there’s a groundswell of support online to keep the team together. Khan wouldn’t address that directly, but he said he rates the success of wrestlers and storylines through live reactions, online engagement and TV ratings.

“This is why I like having ideas and outlines,” Khan said. “You can judge where to go next based on the reactions of fans. Fans have grabbed a hold of MJF and Adam Cole and their story… which is really very captivating.”

Staging a pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium is the latest big swing that has connected for Khan and AEW. With more than 77,000 tickets distributed as of a Monday report, it’s just a few hundred shy of the largest attendance ever in Europe.

“It kind of reminds me of Max [MJF] and Adam,” Khan said. “When you make an attempt to do something so bold, pick a venue so large, the aim is to have a lot of success with this. Just as we expected the Max and Adam Cole tag team … to be very successful and it went beyond that, the same things also apply for All In’s success.”

You can reach Jay Reddick at jreddick@orlandosentinel.com or at Twitter at runninjay