Tony Khan Says AEW vs. WWE Is 'a Real War' in Wrestling's Free-Agency Market

AEW President Tony Khan insisted in a recent interview that his promotion and WWE are in the midst of a true wrestling war.

During an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show (h/t WrestlingInc's Kieran Fisher), Khan discussed the dynamic between AEW and WWE, and his belief that they are constantly battling for talent, especially those available as free agents:

"I only know what people have come to me and alleged. But I do know it's a real war between AEW and WWE, and the fans are interested in it. And that was part of the original business model of AEW was I knew wrestling fans, frankly, are very interested in wrestling free agency and wrestling wars, and I believe we could create a free-agent market that is definitely a real thing now and that would be a big part of the story."

Khan's mention of allegations was seemingly in reference to a report from August after Triple H took the reins from Vince McMahon as the head of creative for WWE.

At the time, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson) reported that WWE reached out to multiple contracted AEW wrestlers in an apparent attempt to gauge interest.

That reportedly led to AEW sending an email to then-WWE co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, warning them against contract tampering.

Given the reported backdoor dealings and the attempts to one-up each other, Khan said he believes AEW and WWE "truly, truly hate each other."

WWE's Raw and SmackDown have far outpaced AEW's Dynamite and Rampage in the ratings, particularly since Triple H took control of WWE's creative during the summer. However, the wrestling landscape is competitive and lucrative for performers, thanks largely to AEW's presence.

With a legitimate alternative in place, wrestlers can now test the waters and land significant contracts outside the confines of WWE.

A large portion of AEW's roster is made up of former WWE Superstars, many of whom were released by WWE since AEW's formation in 2019.

Conversely, WWE hasn't brought in many former AEW stars, with the obvious exception being Cody Rhodes, who was one of the founders of AEW.

Rhodes shockingly returned to WWE nearly one year ago at WrestleMania, and he has firmly established himself as one of the biggest stars in the wrestling business, winning the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match to set the stage for an undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in April.

Both WWE and AEW are enjoying major success in their own ways, and as long as that continues, they will both potentially be in the market for many of the same wrestlers who become available.

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