Tony Khan Talks About Making Homegrown Stars In AEW

AEW currently boasts one of the most impressive rosters in the history of the pro wrestling business. Several of its top stars are either homegrown or have reinvented themselves to the point where AEW is the first thing people think of when that person is mentioned. 

AEW President Tony Khan was asked how proud he is to have so many homegrown AEW originals at his disposal during a recent interview on "CHGO Sports."

"I think it's really awesome and really cool that some of the biggest acts and some of the biggest stars in AEW are people that the crowd got behind, and they're homegrown stars. Hangman Page had been a star around the world internationally but had never been on American TV consistently, and to have Hangman Page become this great champion and star, the fans really got behind Hangman, the fans drove Hangman to the title," said Khan.

He then discussed Orange Cassidy, a star who he not only believes the fans have a great interest in and love for but also who has turned into a genuine mainstream star since arriving in AEW in 2019.

"Orange Cassidy is a digital superstar for us," Khan said. "If you look at the top ten YouTube videos, seven out of the top ten have Orange Cassidy in them." 

The AEW CEO also praised the most viewed match in AEW history between Orange Cassidy and PAC from Revolution 2020, which led the AEW President to praise the company's current top champion, Jon Moxley. "Jon Moxley is AEW's greatest star ever. Jon Moxley is the four-time world champion. At the beginning of — really the launch of AEW, we ended our very first show with Jon Moxley standing atop the poker chips at Double or Nothing, and it's been that way since."

Please credit "CHGO Sports" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.