Tony Khan calls out WWE's scheduling tactics - "This will go a lot differently than JCP"

Time of India

26-05-2025

Image via AEW
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President Tony Khan didn't hold back while addressing the growing rivalry between AEW and
WWE
during the post-Double or Nothing 2025 media scrum. With both promotions running events on the same weekend, Khan was asked about WWE's recent trend of counter-programming AEW pay-per-views.
His response was both historical and defiant.
'It's pretty consistent,' Khan said. 'I'd say it's the most consistent event head-to-head scheduling since Jim Crockett Promotions. Saw a lot of scheduling that went that way. And I can tell you this will go a lot differently than that did.'
The comparison to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) is a significant one. Back in the 1980s, JCP often clashed with WWE programming, with the rivalry culminating in the WWF running Survivor Series opposite JCP's Starrcade in 1987.
The financial strain from such scheduling eventually led JCP to sell to Turner Broadcasting in 1988.
AEW Double Or Nothing Post Show Media Scrum | Glendale, AZ 5/25/25
WWE counters AEW with strategic scheduling
Khan's remarks come at a time when WWE appears to be intensifying its counter-programming strategy. On the same weekend as AEW's Double or Nothing, WWE held both NXT Battleground and Saturday Night's Main Event. Even more notably, WWE has lined up their second all-women's premium live event, Evolution, for the day after AEW's biggest show of the year - All In: Texas - set for July 12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
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Additionally, WWE's programming calendar includes a European tour during AEW's Forbidden Door event in London this August, signalling what many believe to be a clear attempt to divert attention and viewership.
Despite WWE's attempts to dominate the schedule, Khan remains optimistic and assertive. His tone during the media scrum was confident, suggesting that AEW has learned from history and is better equipped to handle such competition.
While Khan didn't reveal specific strategies to combat WWE's moves, his message was clear: AEW isn't intimidated, and it's prepared to maintain its momentum in the face of growing pressure.
With both companies now regularly overlapping major events, the professional wrestling landscape is heating up like never before in the modern era. For fans, it's a flashback to the legendary Monday Night Wars of the late 1990s - only this time, the battle spans not just Monday nights but weekends and international tours as well.
With AEW's All In: Texas and Forbidden Door on the horizon, and WWE ramping up its own counter-efforts, wrestling fans could be witnessing the birth of a new golden age, where competition drives creativity and both companies are pushed to deliver their very best.
What's clear is this: the rivalry between WWE and AEW is no longer theoretical. It's unfolding live, and the industry may be better for it.
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