Tony Khan answered questions from the media today to promote Sunday's Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
During the hour-long conversation, Khan denied reports his family has shown interest in purchasing Bellator, he addressed CM Punk's "One Bil Phil" comment on Collision, and more.
Notes from the call are below:
USA Today asked about The Elite and CM Punk being on the same card. Khan responded that it's great to have so many superstars on Forbidden Door and he's really excited about having Punk and The Elite on the show. However, he never spoke about them being in the same building at the same time. AdFreeShows asked about the "locker room dynamic" regarding Punk being back. Khan said so far it's been a positive experience at the last two shows in Chicago. He then hyped up Punk's upcoming matches this weekend. Khan said everyone was really excited about the television ratings for Collision. Bleacher Report asked about booking Jungle Boy vs. SANADA. Khan said Jungle Boy was his first pick for the match. He said the whole company believes in him and he has continued to develop over the years. DAZN asked where Bryan Danielson vs. Okada ranks as far as matches Khan's been excited to book. Khan said it ranks near the top in terms of his anticipation as a promoter or fan. He's also happy with how they've been building the match up in recent weeks. WrestleZone asked about the Owen Hart Cup tournament brackets and the lack of Canadians participating. Khan just said they wanted to give the strongest field possible and he feels they did that. He said there will be future Owen Hart tournaments in Canada and there will be chances for Canadian wrestlers to get involved. Fightful asked about CM Punk vs. KENTA not taking place at Forbidden Door. Khan responded that Punk vs Kojima is the match he wants to see and that Sunday's pay-per-view has more stars on it than any show they've ever produced. As for anyone else who Punk was rumored to wrestle, Khan said he can't comment on that. Ella Jay "A Wrestling Gal" asked about Stardom talent not being on the show. Khan mentioned the Stardom pay-per-view happening on the same day. He hopes to work with Stardom in the future. Khan said he has built stronger connections with NJPW's Gedo and Takami Ohbari through organizing this show. He continued to talk about the injury problems the show suffered from last year. Khan was asked by Jim Varsallone about recent reports his family is interested in purchasing Bellator. Khan said he was surprised to see that report and doesn't know what it's about. Khan said they haven't had any conversations about purchasing Bellator.Amy from WrestleJoy asked about The Elite vs. BCC feud. Khan talked about the many different stories taking place within the match, including Moxley and Kingston, Takeshita and The Elite, Kingston and Claudio, etc. Khan was asked about women working in creative. He mentioned Madison Rayne and Sarah Stock as those who contribute and praised their work. Khan also said he gets the perspective of the top wrestlers as well. He noted that Rayne has been dealing with a foot injury. It was reported in April that she suffered the injury at a set of ROH tapings. Asked about opening the Forbidden Door with other companies, Khan responded by saying they have strong relationships with other promotions but nothing quite like what they do with NJPW. He thinks it would be great if they get involved with more companies, specifically mentioning Lucha promotions. However, he also mentioned the challenges regarding the promotional battle between CMLL and AAA. Our own Dave Meltzer asked the AEW president about Punk's "One Bill Phil" comment and if it was a reference to a new and possibly lucrative television deal with WBD. Khan said Punk's comment about David Zaslav was a throwback to when wrestlers on TNT would refer to Ted Turner on television. He said the company is continually growing and trying to reach the number that Punk referenced. Khan was asked about Goldberg being involved with AEW. Khan confirmed that he has had "nice conversations with Bill" about that very thing. He doesn't see him as a good fit for Sting and Darby Allin's partner on Sunday, however. David Bixenspan asked about CM Punk possibly having an ownership stake in AEW. Khan said that's not the case but Punk wants the company to do well and was just using a coloquilasm when he said he's "trying to run a business."SEScoops asked about viewership for AEW Collision and what WBD would consider a success. Khan responded that the number they got was considered very successful. He said he doesn't know the exact number that is projected week to week going forward, however. SB Nation asked about Kris Statlander and CM Punk coming back from major injuries. Khan said they've both hit the ground running and it's good for returning wrestlers to get the ring rust out early.
Audio from the call will be posted soon.
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