Tony Khan Names Canadian Cities He Wants To Bring AEW To
Canadian All Elite Wrestling fans may not have to wait much longer to watch their favorite wrestlers head North of the border.
During an interview with the Toronto Star, AEW President Tony Khan stated that the company will soon have live events in Canada due to their ongoing success on television in the country, on TSN. Khan also spoke extensively about having several Canadian wrestlers on the roster.
When asked about the interview during the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Media Call, Khan revisited his take on AEW in Canada, providing a few provinces and cities he'd like to visit and why.
"I named some cities and, to be honest, I named cities based on some wrestlers that AEW has, stars competing here, where they hail from," Khan said. "That includes a lot of great wrestlers from around Toronto and Hamilton, and I will get to Alberta here in a second. Delta, British Columbia which is around Vancouver, Kyle O'Reilly is from the Vancouver area. I neglected to mention Montreal, which is a legendary wrestling city and I should've said it. It was an omission by me that I did not mean to make, but I was just naming cities off the top of my head on a long day.
"I have to say when it comes to Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton would both be great homes for an AEW event. We've worked very closely with Dr. Martha Hart and the Owen Hart Foundation, and it was a real honor to have Dr. Martha Hart, and Oje Hart, and Athena Hart here in AEW, representing Owen Hart's legacy. I look forward to continuing working with the Owen Hart Foundation. It was a real pleasure to have Dr. Martha Hart working with us."
The AEW roster has marveled at Bret "The Hitman" Hart, with many talent calling him the greatest wrestler of all time and constantly paying tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer. With such a deep connection to many within the company, Bret's hometown would ideally be another stop for Khan and AEW in Canada.
"Speaking of Calgary and wrestling, the conversation has to have Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, arguably the greatest pro wrestler of all time and of course he's from Calgary, and he's the very first person ever to hold the AEW World Championship belt in his hands out on pay-per-view, on our very first show, Double or Nothing 2019," Khan said.
"There's a lot of great wrestlers here in AEW who have a lot of respect for him, and I have a lot of respect for Bret. I think he's just a tremendous person and I really like him a lot in addition to respecting him as one of the best people to ever lace up the boots and work in pro wrestling. Bret 'The Hitman' Hart is somebody that's still very much in the conversation in AEW today, even though he's not somebody that actively wrestles or competes here. That is a testament to his enduring legacy."
The AEW Owner also stated why Winnipeg, Manitoba is another Canadian city he'd like to produce a show in, as it's the hometown of two of the company's biggest stars.
"It's one of the first cities you have to mention with AEW, with Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega coming from there and them being two of the great world champions in AEW, and two of the great Canadian stars, and two of the great stars in all the world of wrestling in Jericho and Omega. Jericho has competed extensively in Alberta; we would love to go there. I think that would be a great place for us to go."
It's unclear at this time when AEW will be heading to Canada, but during his initial interview with the Toronto Star, Khan did say he'd like the first show to be in Toronto.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Media Call with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.