AEW President Tony Khan believes the promotion is hitting a new creative high, crediting a return to his roots as the driving force behind what he calls the “best work we’ve ever done.” Speaking in a candid interview on Q101 Radio in Chicago, Khan revealed that he has reclaimed direct control over AEW’s creative process, similar to his approach during the early days of the company and the acclaimed pandemic era.

“I had that same realization that I need to do what I did five years ago and just block out everything and just focus on AEW and not listen to everybody’s advice, and maybe just make the show what I think it should be,” Khan said. He described cutting out creative meetings altogether, instead opting to sketch out his ideas solo. “I just decided, okay, I’m going to scrap the meetings. I’m going to get a pencil and paper and I’m just going to get organized by myself.”

When asked whether AEW’s current output reflects more of his personal vision than in recent years, Khan responded, “The most in years. Most since, like 2020.” While still welcoming input from his team, Khan emphasized the need for a clear creative direction. “I need to be the filter of those ideas,” he said. “Instead of trying to take the best ideas from everyone and incorporate them… I basically started writing my own outlines.”

He even compared the situation to a classic Seinfeld moment. “It’s like George Costanza said about ‘jerk store,’ you know, he had like, a plan with jerk store. He came in, ‘jerk store’ was the line… People are throwing all these different lines at Costanza and, but he wanted to say ‘jerk store.’ That was his plan. And I think I had to stay focused on the jerk store.”

Khan also reflected on a previous partnership with AAA that ended abruptly. Recalling a moment from December 2022, he described what felt like a betrayal. “I remember I was with Samoa Joe… and I talked to FTR, and they said, ‘there’s some kind of strange stuff going on here.’ And then right after Dynamite ended, that match went off, and they announced that Dragon Lee was signing with WWE… so it was really a double cross. And that would never happen now.”

In contrast, he spoke highly of AEW’s current relationship with CMLL, praising the trust between him and CMLL’s Salvador Lutteroth. “That’s one of those things that would never happen now, because of the way that that Salvador and I are brothers,” he said. “I have a very close relationship with them. I do not believe he would ever betray me like that, and I would never betray him like that.”

Khan added, “I would never go behind their back and take a wrestler from them. I think it would have to be collaborative.”

Pointing to the success of All In: Texas, Khan called the event “the best show we’ve ever done for the quality of the wrestling.” Drawing over 28,000 fans, it marked AEW’s biggest North American crowd and one of its most successful pay-per-views to date. “It was like a wrestling festival,” he said. “I would not run a show that long if it started at night… it was a day show. It was an epic thing.”

He also revealed how satisfied he was with the storytelling. “A friend of mine said he thought it was the best payoff of all the stories since 1987 WrestleMania III.”

The main event saw “Hangman” Adam Page dethrone Jon Moxley to become AEW World Champion, a decision Khan said was mapped out well in advance. “Hangman was always the guy,” he stated. “For me, there’s no question Hangman Page was the man to step up and fight Jon Moxley, who had beaten down AEW’s locker room.”

Khan praised Moxley’s nine-month title reign and its impact on AEW. “Jon Moxley is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world,” he said. “People will now credit Jon Moxley with doing exactly what he said he was going to do in AEW… which was unite AEW’s fan base and force somebody to step up and fight him. And he did, and clearly Hangman Page was the man to do it.”

As AEW continues its three-week residency at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, the newly crowned champion is set to appear on Dynamite, continuing the fallout from All In: Texas.