AEW President Tony Khan: “I think anybody underestimating AEW would be making a mistake”
The 2026 AEW All Out PPV event was sold out at the NOW Arena in Chicago despite WWE booking the Worlds Collide show in the same region. According to Fightful.com, WWE sources “admitted AEW sold better than they expected.”
While speaking to the media after All Out, AEW President Tony Khan reacted to Fightful’s report…
“I was kind of surprised they [WWE] would say that because we’ve done very, very well. AEW’s having an incredible year. We were Sports Illustrated’s Pro Wrestling Promotion of the Year. Why would they be surprised that we would sell out? We’ve sold this arena out many times, and AEW’s having a fantastic year.
I think anybody underestimating AEW would be making a mistake. AEW continues to defy the odds and succeed. And if AEW’s ever been on the mat, every single time, we’ve gotten up and fought.
I agree with what Will Ospreay said here. He went out and had a great main event with Jon Moxley. From start to finish, All Out was an amazing event.
So, I was surprised when I read that WWE sources commented that they were surprised themselves that AEW All Out performed very well. The pay-per-view did great, and the show sold very well.
I don’t know why anybody would underestimate AEW. We’re having a great year in 2026, and we had a great 2025. I think this year has been even better.”