AEW Boss Tony Khan Talks ‘Dynamite’ Milestone, Ratings, Adam Devine & ‘Righteous Gemstones’

All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to host episode 289 of Dynamite on April 16 in Boston. The special “Spring Break Thru” themed show is especially meaningful because it makes the AEW flagship the longest-running prime time weekly pro wrestling program on TBS or TNT. 

The now defunct World Championship Wrestling held that distinction previously with Monday Nitro, which ran on TNT from Labor Day 1995 to March 26, 2001. Dynamite has become a staple Wednesday nights for Warner Brothers Discovery since its premiere October 2, 2019 on TNT. The series has since moved to TBS and also now simulcasts on the Max streamer. 

Tony Khan is marking the milestone with a stacked card including the anticipated Mercedes Mone versus Athena showdown and Will Ospreay battling Konosuke Takeshita in Owen Hart Cup Tournament action. We caught up with the CEO, GM and head of creative in the modest of AEW’s latest accomplishment,  

Tony, how are you? 

Tony Khan: I’m doing really well. I was really pumped we just received a really good rating for Collision from Saturday night. 

It feels there is more of a concerted effort when it comes to Collision in making it more must-watch. 

There was a strategic effort to do that in the media rights negotiations. We really felt like we could do more if we could put out the strongest product we could put out. Focusing on doing a great two-hour Dynamite and great two-hour Collision. I think all of 2025, Collision has been fantastic. I think that has been a very positive strategy for AEW. I felt like Collision has held up really well this year. There have been really good ratings. It has performed really well in 2025. The audience for both shows actually. They have been really strong. When you factor in, Max is switched on now, and we have the streaming audience. We know that is a sizable audience, and we’re one of the most top performing shows along with TBS and TNT. It’s really exciting. 

AEW

I know ratings are important on the business side, stake holders like yourself or network execs. Media too I get, but what do you think of this online obsession on the fan side in terms of ratings, viewers, attendance and other metrics? 

I knew it was going to be like that going into it. I think that it’s great. Wrestling fans have the capacity to memorize dates, results and all that better than any other sports fans. The memory wrestling fans have and the way they analyze the information and study the industry of television and focus on performance, I think it’s absolutely fantastic. I was cognizant of this when AEW launched because I’ve been a wrestling fan almost my entire life. I was a big online wrestling fan as a kid during the late 1990s into the early 2000s when fans were constantly talking about ratings and trends in the wrestling business. So, with there being a competitive market in the wrestling business today and AEW every Wednesday on TBS and Saturday on TNT and now also streaming on Max, AEW has become a huge part of the conversation in wrestling. I’m very excited to be a part of the discourse and statistical breakdowns week-to-week of the information. 

This week marks the milestone for Dynamite exceeding WCW Nitro in number of episodes during its run on TNT. What does this mean to you as a fan and promotion owner? 

I’m so grateful to [execs] David Zaslav and Bruce Campbell and all the people at Warner Brothers Discovery. The great teams at TBS and TNT and Max. I’m grateful for the AEW wrestlers who are the very best and are great people to work with inside and outside the wrestling ring. The AEW staff, there are so many great people in this company. Most of all the wrestling fans, I thank the fans who watch and have supported us and made it possible for Wednesday night Dynamite to become the longest running weekly primetime pro wrestling show in the history of TBS and TNT, which covers some fantastic programs. Wednesday night Dynamite is going to have an incredible 289th episode. The number 289 represents a significant milestone, so I want ours to be memorable. We planned for a long time to have this show in Boston for ‘Spring BreakThru ‘on Dynamite to be one of our very best events. It’s a stacked lineup. All the rivalries are in top form right now. 

Anything you can tease of who Hangman Page’s Owen Hart Cup tournament wild card opponent is? 

If it’s okay, not this second. I think this is going to be an amazing show to celebrate an important milestone and I think the quality of the wrestling and the run of TV shows that AEW is on currently, because our shows since the move with Max, have been fantastic. I think we’re on a hot run of shows right now. The business is very strong. I think that this episode and the lineup of matches and what we can expect Wednesday in the current state of AEW with the fantastic shows we’re having is the perfect embodiment of AEW and the spirit of what made it possible for us to reach 289 episodes and still going very strong. It’s one of our strongest runs ever. 

Jon Moxley and Adam Copeland (AEW/Ricky Havlik)

I’m a vested viewer and have been frustrated by the Death Riders. The last pay-per-view events I’ve been pretty mad after seeing Jon Moxley retain the AEW Championship.  want?  I get you have this long-term creative direction you are going in and have an end game. At the same time, how is it managing these reactions while telling the story you believe in? 

We have some very popular stars in AEW. There are also the darkest villains in wrestling. The AEW fans have their favorites. We have these very passionate crowds. They are very rabid wrestling fans. They are very avid when it comes to watching the sport and following wrestling. The crowds at the major AEW shows are frequently adamant about their dislike for the Death Riders, but the Death Riders are top wrestlers led by the greatest champion in modern pro wrestling history. The only man to hold the AEW World Title, WWE World Title and the IWGP World Title in New Japan, and that’s Jon Moxley. Mox is the most decorated, dominant AEW Champion ever. 

In this iteration of Mox, it has been a 180 from the blue collar hero that AEW fans have gravitated toward since the first AEW show. Jon Moxley’s actions in recent months are in direct opposition with what fans come to associate with Jon Moxley, which is pro wrestling at its best. Combat with honor. This really great man who worked so hard to get to the top of pro wrestling and works hard every day to keep it. The Death Riders are dominant today, hold championship gold. Jon Moxley sits atop of AEW and there is a long line of great challengers in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament lining up. We’ve got great matches this Wednesday on Dynamite and All In Texas, there will be a big world title match. I can tell you that. There is no shortage of fantastic stars in my opinion, the very best wrestlers in the world. They are lined up to try to take that world championship from Jon Moxley. I think the fans want to get behind the heroes in AEW, which is awesome. 

Mariah May (Lee South/AEW)

I’ve appreciated what you’ve been doing with the women’s division. Someone who has been an important part of that and been a hot topic today has been Mariah May. Thoughts on her and her future when it comes to AEW? 

In 2023, Mariah May arrived in AEW and at first came in to some fans who may not have been familiar with her as a great international wrestler as a big fan of “Timeless” Toni Storm. It turned out over events that played out in the following year that it was an act Mariah was putting on. She came in pretending to be something she was not as a big fan of “Timeless” Toni Storm and downplaying her credentials as a wrestler. Toni took in the big fan of hers and came to rely on Mariah to support her in her matches. It was an incredible portrayal when Mariah won the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and attacked her mentor. She dropped the protégé act and revealed “The Glamour” Mariah May. It led to their fantastic match at Wembley Stadium for Women’s World Championship where Mariah was able to capture the championship in front of her hometown and vanquish her one-time mentor and accomplish her master plan that was in many ways inspired by All About Eve. The following months it seems Mariah May had vanquished “Timeless” Toni Storm. When we saw Toni Storm again, she came back as the rookie Toni Storm, or at least it seemed that way. It was her pretending to be something she wasn’t. 

Now Toni Storm was the one playing the mind games. It was the unpenned sequel to All About Eve I’ve wanted to do. It was Margo Channing’s big revenge. When Toni revealed at AEW Homecoming at Daily’s Place she hadn’t forgotten and was playing mind games with Mariah and admitted she played the rookie on her way to winning match after match to secure a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship at Grand Slam Australia. It was a story that played out in so many great places. Toni won in front of all her family and so many friends from growing up and regaining the championship. It was part of one of the greatest AEW TV shows we’ve ever done. It culminated in one of the great moments. I felt that the perfect ending to end this would be a Hollywood ending in the rubber match to settle it all. It was an absolutely fantastic match. It was a perfect ending and way to culminate the story and rivalry. I really enjoyed working with both of them. It’s a story I felt strongly about with Mariah May coming into AEW….It evolved into a great rivalry leading into that Hollywood ending at Revolution. It was fantastic working with both women. With “Timeless” Toni Storm having vanquished Mariah May, we’ll see what’s next for her and “Timeless Toni Storm. 

Adam Devine and Tony Khan

You spoke about the Revolution pay-per-view in Los Angeles. I loved seeing Leslie Jones’ energy watching in the crowd. Adam Devine also spoke highly of being at the show and ended up getting in the ring. Can we expect to see them again after their positive reactions? 

Both are different cases. Leslie Jones came and was a huge fan. I had never met her, but she was really excited. She came backstage and that energy was very real. She was happy to be there. She was very passionate about the show and complimentary of AEW. Leslie Jones was absolutely fantastic. She is welcome back any time. Adam I had spent some time at the Super Bowl and the whole night after the Super Bowl. I had a great time meeting him and his wife Chloe [Bridges]. They showed me around New Orleans. I think they are fantastic people. I really like Adam a lot. 

That led to me asking him if he wanted to pitch something to Warner Brothers Discovery where Adam Devine and Tony Cavalero from The Righteous Gemstones would come to promote the premiere episode of the season, which was the same night as Revolution. I suggested we call it “Gemolution.” I really think Adam is just a great guy. I saw he had some complimentary things to say about AEW on his podcast. I spent time with Adam and Blake [Anderson] and they are both great guys. I really enjoyed talking about TV and movies and sports with them. In this case, Adam came to Revolution as part of a cross-promotional event, but it’s something we set up with friends. It worked out great. I would love to have him back any time. I stay in touch with Adam. He is an awesome person. 

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Adam Copeland Talks Juggling AEW and 'Percy Jackson'

Lastly, any update on Darby Allin. I know a lot of fans have been excited to hear how he is doing. 

We haven’t seen Darby Allin since he was thrown down the stairs and put out of wrestling by the Death Riders. Nobody has heard or seen him. I’m very optimistic about what is going to be a great 2025 for AEW, and Darby is one of the biggest stars in AEW ever. Everyone knows he had a dream to climb Mount Everest. I know it’s something that means the world to him. It’s something I really believe he could accomplish. He made peace with himself that he could reach the summit and achieve something so special. I know it means a lot to him. Whenever he is back to a hundred percent, Darby loves AEW. He was an original star back before we launched the very first Dynamite. He loves wrestling, loves the fans. I can not wait until he is back. I love Darby, and am excited to have him back hopefully soon. 

AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8/7c, TBS (Streaming on Max)

AEW Collision, Saturdays, 8/7c, TNT (Streaming on Max)