Tony Khan explained his philosophy on booking world title defenses on free television in an interview with Q101 Chicago radio, addressing the notable increase in title matches on Dynamite and Collision in 2026.
“In 2026, you’ve had 13 world title matches on free TV between Dynamite, Collision, and Grand Slam Australia — you had just 11 from 2024 to the end of 2025,” interviewer Case Lowe said, asking if TV partners were influencing the decision. “I think we’re delivering at the highest level and it’s great having these championship fights,” Khan replied. “When AEW’s at our very best, you can tune in and expect to see the top stars fighting each other in huge matches.”
He framed the approach around fan accessibility. “I do think that having all these great championship fights on Dynamite, on Collision, on the major events, and having the very best pay-per-views, our fans are having their cake and eating it, too. There are some fans that maybe can’t buy every pay-per-view and they still are getting great wrestling every week.”
The latest example: MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship was originally planned for the Redemption PPV in Montreal, per reporting from Dave Meltzer, but was moved to Wednesday’s Beach Break Dynamite. Both Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez noted the switch was made “fairly recently,” with Meltzer suggesting the July 8 date with no competing World Cup games was likely a factor.
