Tony Khan Reacts To WWE Counter-Programming AEW PPVs, AEW Dynamite Ratings (8/20/25), Alex Windsor-AEW Update
Tony Khan was asked during the Forbidden Door media call about WWE counter-programming AEW pay-per-views with NXT events. WWE has scheduled multiple NXT specials on the same dates as AEW shows in recent months, including this weekend’s NXT Heatwave running opposite Forbidden Door. Khan downplayed the competition, stating that his focus remains on AEW’s continued growth and on delivering the best product possible.
Additionally, “TK” praised Bozilla and commented on when the next AEW console game will debut.
You can check out some highlights from the media call below:
On the company’s growth this year: “We’ve had a great 2025 in AEW and I believe that, in large part, that’s because everyone in AEW is really focused on making AEW a tremendous promotion and continuing this excellent year we’re having.”
On not being focused on WWE programming opposite them: “All these things [their media rights deal and other successes] have come together to build a lot of excitement inside AEW and outside AEW, and all around the company. I want to be able to continue that, and the most important thing for us is to talk about AEW and work really hard on AEW every week. It means not necessarily focusing on what every wrestling promotion is doing, but I do like watching wrestling and keeping up with what other wrestling promotions are doing. We’ve been in business since 2019 and in every one of those years, there have been other wrestling promotions at times doing very cool things. At the very best of AEW, we’ve been super focused on what we’re doing. Not being the only wrestling company in the world, but trying our best to be the best. I know we have the best wrestlers, and this year I think we’re doing the best TV shows and pay-per-views. I know we have the best fans.”
On when the next AEW console game will be created: “So, I love pro wrestling and I’ll be the first to say that I’m not the biggest expert in the world on video gaming and I like to play games, but I’m not the expert, and there are great, great experts in the world about it and I tried to take insight and advice from people in AEW and people around the developers, and absolutely, we learned a lot in the making of the game and could take that in the future. I really believe to make the next game much, much better and learn from the experiences of doing that. But I also think that we’re having a great year with our wrestling and our TV, our pay-per-views and doing all kinds of great things that are core competencies, and it’s a great thought… I’m not sure what the future would hold. I do think eventually there will be further AEW forays into gaming, different kinds of games, mobile games, different concepts, different platforms. I can’t say for sure what they’ll all be, because again, like I said, I’ll never claim to be the world’s biggest expert on video gaming but, I like it and I know it’s a huge part of a lot of our fans’ lives. It’s really important to a lot of our fans and I’m trying to learn from that feedback.”
On Bozilla: “I really like Bozilla. President (Taro) Okada and I had talked and he is doing a great job. He has Grand Prix, and the scheduling of Forbidden Door, we wanted STARDOM participation and Bozilla was my very first choice for somebody that I wanted in AEW, and she wasn’t available until this week and just become available in recent days and announced her participation and I’m very excited about it. I also think for a European pay-per-view, having a European star like Bozilla, who’s a second-generation star, and has a great wrestling mind in addition to these great physical abilities and really growing into becoming an excellent wrestler. I really think Bozilla is a great talent and somebody that I wanted to have on the Forbidden Door show… I’m excited to meet with Bozilla, have her working with AEW but also representing a great promotion in STARDOM that we love working with and we appreciate STARDOM sending one of their very best stars in Bozilla to participate in this huge TBS Championship four-way match along with CMLL’s Persephone, the UK’s great rising star Alex Windsor and of course, the TBS Champion Mercedes Moné.”
On wanting Yota Tsuji at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2024: “Last summer, I was looking at using someone who is not available at all this year, who I would have loved to use on the card, but he’s not available to come at all. It’s not like he wasn’t available for the TV, he wasn’t available to come at all. That’s Yota Tsuji. I think he’s an excellent pro wrestler. He participated in the event in the past, but I would have liked to have use him more. Last year, I had maybe envisioned a bigger role for him. I had considered him possibly as a title challenger for Swerve Strickland. A few people said to me, ‘He’s a great wrestler, but no matter how much we do on TV for a champion like Swerve, we think a more established wrestler, even if it’s not a New Japan wrestler, might be the best thing for Forbidden Door.’ I think they were right. Will Ospreay himself said, ‘I think I’d be a great challenger for Swerve and maybe it would help the event more if you’re interested in that even if it’s outside the traditional way we’ve done Forbidden Door.’ I thought about it and I thought it was right and I made the choice to do it. I think it was the right thing to do.”
During a recent appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, AEW wrestler Alex Windsor commented on her career, making the move to AEW, facing Toni Storm, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On her move to AEW: “I’ve said to my close friends and family before I officially started on the (AEW) schedule, I said, ‘My life is gonna go from zero to 100…’ I haven’t really had time to just sit. Sit, unpack, get settled at home and just kind of take it all in because it’s like, before I’ve even had time to have a couple nights at home, it’s back on the road again. It’s an absolute whirlwind, but, I cannot complain about it because obviously, this is everything I’ve worked for so, as hard as it is now, I would sooner this than have not gone through at all — not be in position that I am now but, it’s just a massive adventure now. I don’t think my life has ever been this exciting and just here, there and everywhere but in the best way.”
On her dynamic with Toni Storm: “I didn’t know what I was expecting to go into, like wrestling-wise, storyline-wise, what kind of characterizations I’d be having but it was like, to be paired up with Toni (Storm), I’ve known Toni for years and years on the U.K. scene and we’ve gone our separate ways and then to be able to come into the same company and just kind of have a friendship again, kind of just straight off the bat and just doing all — not even stupid stuff.”
On having fun with Storm: “It’s just entertaining. You can’t help but laugh and smile at it so being able to do that and just thinking of things where like, we just find this funny. It’s just fun, and I think that shows and I think that’s why people enjoy it so much because they can see that… we wanna be doing all this. It’s just a load of fun for us.”
And finally, the August 20th episode of AEW Dynamite brought in 565,000 viewers on TBS, a drop from the 690,000 who tuned in on August 13.
This week’s episode earned a 0.16 rating in the key 18–49 demographic, slightly down from last week’s 0.17.
The show also aired via simulcast on HBO Max, though viewership figures for the streaming platform are not disclosed.
(h/t – Fightful)
