Tony Khan 'Not Looking Forward To' AEW Competing With NFL Saturday Games For Viewers
Now that "AEW Collision" is officially set for Saturdays, starting June 17, a big question is how the show will handle Saturday night competition. Major sporting events are typically held on Saturday, with UFC frequently running events that night, as well as college football and NFL games in the fall. The latter is something AEW owner Tony Khan is taking very seriously. At the media call for AEW Double or Nothing, Khan was asked about Collision possibly going up against the NFL, stating that going against the NFL on Saturdays would be "the toughest thing they'd ever done," and that he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of it.
Tony Khan says NFL games on Saturdays will be the "toughest thing we've ever gone against." And he's "not looking forward to it."
— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) May 25, 2023
Whether or not it's a reality Khan will have to deal with remains to be seen, as he also noted that going against the NFL on Saturdays was something that was still being discussed, suggesting the show may be moved if faced with stiff NFL competition. Khan, who works as chief football strategy officer for the Jacksonville Jaguars, echoed past statements regarding going against the NFL, saying he was "generally not in the business of competing" against the football powerhouse.
Should "Collision" stay on Saturdays against NFL games, they will likely have only two weeks of regular season NFL, which has scheduled three games for Week 15 on Saturday, and two for Week 18. In addition to regular season games, "Collision" would also compete with games from the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs on January 13 and January 20.