AEW President Tony Khan has explicitly addressed the long-standing speculation regarding creative control within his promotion, clarifying that while the company prides itself on “creative freedom,” final decision-making power rests solely with him.
Speaking on the Battleground podcast recently, Khan debunked rumors that top stars, including recent high-profile signing Mercedes Mone, have the authority to dictate their own storylines or match outcomes.
“There’s no creative control. Only I have it. No wrestler has that,” Khan stated.
He emphasized that his approach is built on partnership rather than total autonomy for the talent. “There’s a lot of freedom to work with the staff and the coaches and the wrestlers together and come up with ideas. And I am one of the most collaborative people on the planet. And that’s how I’ve been able to succeed in multiple sports and build the greatest sports analytics engineering firm in the world, True Media.”
The clarification comes as Khan refined his creative process following a perceived “over-collaboration” in previous years. He noted that while he values input—working closely with stars like Jon Moxley, Toni Storm, and Mercedes Mone—he alone is responsible for the final television outlines.
“I definitely felt like I had a good approach that I’d refined in 2020… I think I had gotten too collaborative, and it was kind of the same mistake I made at the beginning,” Khan admitted, explaining his 2025 shift to a more hands-on approach.
The results of this focused creative direction were evident during the January 7, 2026, episode of Dynamite in Tulsa. The show featured a violent Lights Out main event where “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland defeated HOOK and Powerhouse Hobbs by submission.
The episode also featured a celebration for the new TBS Champion, Willow Nightingale, which was crashed by Mercedes Mone. The segment ended with Mone being power-bombed through a table after landing face-first in a cake. She has since stated in the storyline that she is taking a break from AEW.
