AEW Executive Discloses Tony Khan’s Creative Process

AEW burst onto the scene in 2019 with considerable momentum, hitting its peak after All Out 2021 and Tony Khan has been part of all the ups and downs in the company since the very beginning. With that said, an AEW Executive has revealed Khan’s creative process.

Mike Mansury, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Production for AEW, recently appeared on “Talk Is Jericho” to share his experiences in the wrestling industry. Prior to joining AEW, Mansury worked in production for WWE for over a decade.

Mansury also provided insights into working with Tony Khan and discussed Khan’s unique creative process. He stated that there is a lot of collaborative energy in AEW thanks to Khan.

“There really is a collaborative energy and spirit around here from folks wanting to chip in for stuff that doesn’t even involve them,” Mansury said. “There’s that sort of receptive nature to wanting to collaborate, as opposed to saying ‘Hey this is my sh*t, back off.’” 

Advertising

Advertising

(Tony and I) work very closely. If you’re a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, if you’re looking to equate it, I’m the hand of the king. You know what I mean? He’ll come to me with so much stuff. The impetus of my job is I have to bring his vision to life. So, he’ll call me sometimes at the oddest hours with an idea that may come to him while he’s out taking a walk or when he’s at home, or whatever the case may be.”

When Jericho asked whether these ideas were related to production or storylines, Mansury confirmed that Tony Khan has tons of ideas about anything and everything from wide areas. He added that one has to be able to keep up with Tony Khan’s pace in AEW.

“Anything. A story, an idea he may have for an angle, an idea for a graphic, you name it. It’s amazing with all that he manages how much attention he devotes to AEW. It’s not every day you’ve got somebody who has a hand in the family businesses — an NFL franchise, a Premier League team, and then they’re the owner and operator of their own wrestling company. But, this guy operates on a different level, man. I find myself just kind of blown away. Like, ‘Where does this guy find the time in the day to think of all this stuff?’ But AEW is always in that mind, and it’s always running. It’s pretty cool to see how he manages everything.

With Tony, it’s a fast-moving train. You have to be on par with him, because if you miss him, the opportunity goes by, and it goes by fast. You’ve gotta be on your A-game in order to stick with him. When an idea or concept comes to him, he’s gonna shoot it straight out, and you better catch it the first time.”

Tony Khan is also disappointed with Warner Bros Discovery’s offer. Nevertheless, Tony Khan will do things his way and people in AEW will simply have to abide by his creative process no matter what.

Are you intrigued by Tony Khan’s creative process? Let us know in the comments section below!