Tony Khan Says AEW Roster Will Feature "The Top Wrestlers In The World", Shad Khan Confirms His Role
Tony Khan and Shad Khan issued their first public statements today regarding the formation of All Elite Wrestling. Shad, the billionaire businessman who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, said that he is "the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling."
His son Tony, who is a co-owner of the Jaguars and a longtime wrestling fan, said that the promotion will launch with a roster of the top talents in the world and he urged everyone to support the upstart group.
As noted, AEW will be holding their "Double or Nothing" rally in Jacksonville this evening at 5 pm ET at the parking lot of West Club at the TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jaguars. It's expected that several signings and the upcoming Double or Nothing event will be officially announced at the rally. Wrestling Inc. will be live at the rally and will provide all of the breaking news from it, as well as exclusive video and photos on our Twitter @WrestlingINC and Facebook (Facebook.com/WrestlingINC) accounts.
Below are their full statements sent to Wrestling Inc. this morning:
SHAD KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019
I am the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling, and I anticipate great things today and into the future for AEW and everyone who has worked passionately on this week's launch. I know AEW will be welcomed by wrestling fans here in the U.S. and throughout the world who are ready for something new and authentic. AEW will work hard to deliver on that promise.
As important, I am the father ? the proud father ? of Tony Khan, who will serve in a leadership role at AEW during the 2019 launch and in the years ahead. Tony will assemble a great team to take AEW over the top, for the benefit of everyone who loves the wrestling industry, while continuing to serve in his current capacities with the Jaguars and Fulham.
AEW will operate as an organization completely independently from my other interests. It will not deter attention or divert resources from any of my businesses, teams, projects or investments. At the same time, AEW will enjoy the same full commitment I given to everything and everyone in my life ? my family and friends, my business and, in recent years, to sports, hospitality and now entertainment.
TONY KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others. I've been a part of this community since I was 7 years old, and I can tell you that wresting fans see the world every day through a special lens. We see wrestling in Hollywood films and tv shows, we see elements of wrestling in the presentation of sports and in the marketing of grandiose star athletes, and we certainly see wrestling in politics.
The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wrestling but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.
AEW does not mean any less of a continued commitment to existing obligations and duties that I have, or my family has, to our business and sports interests. That will never be the case. What's important is that every individual decision we make as family, whether it's ownership or investment in a team or property, is 100 percent beneficial to those specific interests. I will always welcome that accountability and responsibility, as nothing is more important than serving our supporters and friends.
AEW will launch with a roster of the top wrestlers in the world. While they'll clash in what will be some of the most intense and fast-paced contests ever sanctioned in the squared circle, they'll also share a common goal: to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a wrestling fan. Likewise, as a business, by treating our wrestlers with respect and warmth, we also seek to make this the golden age for the performers themselves.
I urge everyone who believes in what we're doing, or wants to believe in dreams coming true, to support AEW by spreading the word and passing the wrestling bug onto someone else. My message: Get in on the ground floor with AEW today and help lead our movement to grow the wrestling community and ensure that the voices of the wrestling fans, their creative minds and their remarkable ideas, will always be heard.