Andrade’s mysterious absence from AEW being related to WWE’s new non-compete clause is one of the big stories in wrestling news today, just in time for Tony Khan’s call with the media ahead of this weekend’s
WrestleDream pay-per-view.
Khan was asked right away to comment on Andrade’s status with AEW and where the situation stands. Here is his response, which uses a lot of words to say nothing about the subject:
“Well, I would echo sentiments I had said at Worlds End 2023 when Andrade initially left, a few years ago. And I would say that I have a ton of respect for Andrade El Idolo. I think he’s an amazing wrestler. I think that when he left in 2023, it was on a very high note, just to reiterate everything I said at his departure a few years ago, and I still feel that way. And I think Andrade is a great wrestler, and I’m excited to see what’s next for him. And I would leave it at that.”
Khan wondered if there was any follow-up question, to which he was asked if he’s aware of any WWE non-compete clause at play. Tony gave a similar non-answer to the question, while stating that’s as much as he can say about it.
“Yeah, I would just echo the sentiments, again, when Andrade had initially left in 2023. I have a ton of respect for him, and I’m saying as much as I can say about it. But I appreciate you asking, and I am excited to see what’s next for Andrade. Again, this is somebody that I think is just an incredible wrestler I really enjoyed working with in the past, and I’m excited to see what’s next for him. Thank you for asking.”
Moving on, Khan was later asked about his view and approach towards Nielsen’s new ratings system that incorporates Big Data, which has had disastrous results so far for WWE and AEW.
Khan is very interested to learn more about the new system.
“Well, I think it’s gonna be an interesting thing to look at.
…I do think, AEW, if you look at where we started this year, and where we ended last year, how we’ve been doing, I think AEW is having overall a very good year. And if you look at where wrestling companies ended up last year, and where they’ve been through the first few months of this year, AEW is having some of the best results of anybody. And I do think on TV, when it comes to this methodology, I’ll be really interested to see what it means.”
Nielsen’s new ratings method has given a big boost to the NFL, which Khan is also heavily invested in because his family owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. With that in mind, Khan will try his best to learn from and adapt to these changes in the ratings methodology.
“Being a part of the NFL Fan Engagement and Major Events committee, we’re very cognizant of changes in media and ratings methodology, so I am gonna keep an eye on it. I think it’s a very new system, and I think it’s really interesting to see the differences, and try to learn from them. And that’s what really business and enterprise is all about, is adapting to the environments, and AEW historically has done very well at adapting. And I think it’s a very new system, it’s a very new methodology, this Big Data, but there could be a lot of positives, potentially, too. And I think it’s really important to take this time to learn from it, if that makes sense.”
So there you have it, Cagesiders. What do you make of Tony Khan’s answers about Andrade and Nielsen’s new ratings system?
