Earlier today, AEW President Tony Khan took part in a media call to promote this weekend’s Final Battle pay-per-view event.
You can check out some highlights from the media call below, courtesy of Mike Johnson of Pwinsider.com:
* Khan thanked everyone for coming.
* Khan was asked about Billie Starkz. He said it’s been great to watch her growth and talked up her storyline with Athena.
* The first time Tony will step into the Hammerstein Ballroom will be Friday before the show.
* On Red Velvet’s rise, Khan said she’s been a star in the making for years and stepped up in the ring this year more than ever.
* On Chris Jericho vs. Matt Cardona, Khan said it’s a double main event with Athena vs. Starkz. He ran down the story for the match and said it’s an interesting match. Cardona is someone he liked and wanted to do more with after his work against Adam Copeland earlier this year. Cardona was fantastic in that match and got a great reaction. Matt’s a top independent wrestler and a real New York guy. He was a great person to come into ROH and work with. He’s interested in working with Cardona going forward and if Matt wins the ROH title, he’s someone you’ll see a lot going forward.
* On the ROH Tag Team Title bout, Khan said it’s been a very personal issue. Khan didn’t know the history between Dutch and the late Dusty Rhodes. He’s excited for the double bullrope match. The first they’ve ever had. There will be more this week on the go home episode of ROH TV this week. He praised Dustin Rhodes as a talker and talent and thinks Sammy Guevara can learn a lot from him. He said Guevara has the potential to be one of the best pro wrestlers in the world.
* On the ROH Trios Championship and The Von Erichs, Ross Von Erich will be back soon. His injury took longer to heal than expected, but that’s OK. The Six Man Titles will be back soon. He’s excited to have the Von Erichs back.
* Khan was asked about the relationship with GCW and everything that has gone down of late. Khan said “it remains to be seen” and if Matt Cardona wins the ROH title, he has bookings all over the world. Matt Cardona put the GCW Jericho appearance together and he was happy to send Jericho to help promote Final Battle. Khan focused on Cardona mostly. He said they’ve done angles and appearances on independent shows all over the world, mostly with New Japan, to help promote AEW.
* Khan was asked about the importance of Dustin Rhodes. Khan said he grew up watching and loving Dustin Rhodes’ work. It’s crazy to think he’s been working with him 5 1/2 years and praised that his match in AEW with Dustin vs. Cody Rhodes. He’s been a great part of AEW and is carrying two titles in ROH.
* On whether the Hammerstein shows could influence doing similar residencies, Khan said they have great opportunities to do similar runs in places. He’d love to do more shows at the Hammerstein. He said barring something unforeseen, he expects this weekend to be a fun time and they’ve found something “here” that they can replicate and create a tradition for them. It’s exciting to have the shows in NYC to lead to World’s End. If it goes well, it’s something he’d love to do again.
* On all the events they have over the next three weeks, Khan mentioned they have Fight for the Fallen on MAX and TBS to help raise money for Hurricane Relief in North Carolina. Khan said that he hopes they can help people and bring attention to the cause. Worlds End is the end of an era for AEW as they lead into simulcasting on Max. Final Battle is the three year anniversary of the last show of the previous regime. He talked about Jay Briscoe and the FTR-Briscoes trilogy. He talked up the Tokyo Dome events for New Japan and is excited about all the events coming up.
* There will be a scrum after Final Battle and a media call next week for World’s End.
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