Antony Rafiq Khan[a] (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, andprofessional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, owner, president, chief executive officer, executive producer, andhead booker ofAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).[1] He is also the owner ofRing of Honor (ROH), which he purchased and turned into AEW's sister promotion.
Khan is the son of Pakistani and American businessmanShahid Khan, the owner of theNFL'sJacksonville Jaguars and EnglishPremier League teamFulham FC.[2] He holds executive roles at both organizations, being chief football strategy officer with the Jaguars and vice-chairman and director of football operations with Fulham. His other business ventures include TruMedia Networks and Activist Artists Management.
Khan joined theJacksonville Jaguars in July 2012,[7] following his father's purchase of the team, and currently serves as Senior President of Football and Analytics.[8][9] Khan's most prominent role within the Jaguars is scoutingundrafted free agents;[10] a short 2024NFL Films feature followed Khan handling both his scouting responsibilities duringthat year's NFL draft and his responsibilities overseeing a live broadcast of All Elite Wrestling'sCollision, over the span of 24 hours.[11]
In April 2020, Jaguars defensive endYannick Ngakoue referred to Khan as "spoiled", after a confrontation on Twitter.[12] In August 2020, Ngakoue was traded to theMinnesota Vikings.[13]
On February 22, 2017, Khan was named as vice-chairman and director of football operations ofFulham.[14] He oversees the identification, evaluation, recruitment, general maintenance and signing of players for Fulham.[2][15] Khan assumed these responsibilities following a period of advising the football operations at the club, particularly in the areas of analytics and research. Although Khan was not able to have an immediate effect (as it was after the January transfer window), Fulham only lost twice[16] and went on a run that saw them finish the season in sixth place,[17] where they were defeated in the play-off semi-final toReading.[18]
Khan'sfirst full season as vice-chairman, saw the breakout of youth productRyan Sessegnon as well as the mid-season loan signing ofAleksandar Mitrović amongst the goals, as Fulham earned promotion to thePremier League by defeatingAston Villa in theplay-off final, of which he was present.[19] In the2018–19 season, Fulham brought in a number of expensive signings, headlined by the permanent signing of Mitrović fromNewcastle United andJean Michaël Seri fromNice.[20][21] By January 2019, Fulham were stuck in the relegation zone, despite having sackedSlaviša Jokanović and replacing him withClaudio Ranieri.[22] Around this time, Khan was criticised for telling a supporter of the club to "go to hell", although he claimed that this person had previously hounded him before.[23] After Ranieri's departure,[24]BBC Radio 5 Live punditsIan Wright andChris Sutton questioned Khan's capability in the job, with Wright even suggesting that Shahid Khan should sack his son.[25] Fulham ended the season in 19th place, resulting in the second relegation under Shahid Khan's ownership.[26]
In the2019–20 season, caretaker managerScott Parker was named manager on a permanent basis,[27] with the summer transfers consisting mostly of loan signings.[28] Fulham would end the season – which was interrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic – in 4th place, once again earning promotion to the Premier League by defeatingBrentford in theplay-off final.[29] Unable to appear at the final, Khan made aFaceTime call to congratulate Fulham's players.[30] In the2020–21 season, Fulham brought in a mix of loan and permanent signings, includingTerence Kongolo andHarrison Reed who played for the club on loan the previous season.[31][32] In September 2020, Khan was called a "clown" bySky Sports punditJamie Carragher for tweeting critical comments of Fulham players, and described the transfer history of Khan as "a right mess".[33][34] Khan's comments angered Parker,[35] who described the situation as "the world we live in".[36] Fulham ended the season in 18th place, resulting in another relegation.[37] In the2021–22 season,Marco Silva succeeded Parker as manager,[38] leading to Fulham topping the Championship.[39] Mitrović scored 43 goals, easily breaking the record set byIvan Toney (in2020–21),[40] as well as the record set byGuy Whittingham for the most scored in a 46-game season.[39] In an interview withThe Athletic, Khan stated that he had convinced Mitrović to stay, despite interest fromDynamo Moscow and following a season in which he only scored three goals.[30] He was also optimistic that this would be the season that Fulham would no longer be perceived as a "yo-yo club".[30]
Khan has described his management style as highly involved; he writes shows and storylines and approves all televised segments.[47] While AEW talent are generally given much freedom in scripting their own promos, Khan retains final authority over creative decisions.[48][49] While typically not a character on-screen, he occasionally appears in AEW programming to make announcements.[50] In late April 2024, he appeared in a rarestoryline segment onDynamite, during which he was attacked by members of the villainous factionThe Elite.[51]
On March 2, 2022, Khan announced that he had acquired the professional wrestling promotionRing of Honor (ROH) fromSinclair Broadcast Group. The acquisition included ROH's video library, brand assets, and intellectual property.[52] The purchase was made through a separate corporate entity wholly owned by Khan, distinct from AEW.[53] He has since operated ROH as a standalone sister promotion to AEW, while indicating its potential use as a developmental platform for AEW talent.[54]
Khan's leadership of AEW has received both praise and criticism. TheWrestling Observer Newsletter named him Promoter of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as Best Booker in 2020, 2021, and 2022.[55] AEW personnel includingChris Jericho,[56]Jim Ross,[57] andJon Moxley[58] have publicly supported his approach.
Khan speaking at the Panda Conferece in 2022
Khan has also faced criticism. In December 2021, after former AEW wrestlerBig Swole claimed that she left AEW because she was unimpressed by its lack of diversity and structure, Khan controversially responded that her contract had not been renewed because he "felt her wrestling wasn't good enough".[59] Industry figures such asEric Bischoff andDave Scherer have also criticized his management style,[60][61] with some questioning his handling of backstage issues and talent discipline.[62] His decision to terminateCM Punk's contract in 2023 followinga backstage altercation drew a divided response from fans and media outlets alike.[63][64][65][66]
Khan is the owner and chairman of TruMedia Networks,[67][68] a Boston-based engineering firm specializing in analytics for the athletic sports industry. Khan acquired TruMedia Networks in 2015, and under his ownership, the company has expanded its sports analytics engineering services, with clients includingESPN, theNational Football League,Zebra Technologies, and over 60 percent of allMajor League Baseball clubs.[69][70]
Along with TruMedia Networks, Khan and his family helped fund Activist Artists Management, a talent management and advisory firm founded in 2018.[71] Khan made a significant investment in the firm, and separately established the Activist content and venture fund focused on investments in media, entertainment, hospitality as well as consumer products, services, and technologies.[72]
^Lambert, Jeremy (December 26, 2020)."Jim Ross Praises Tony Khan For His Work Ethic And Enthusiasm, Compares AEW To The AFL".Fightful. RetrievedAugust 14, 2021.The rotor in the water is Tony Khan. He's the hardest working, most enthusiastic, educated wrestling fan I've ever encountered. His passion alone is one of the things that makes it fun to go to work because I've never worked for anybody quite like him. He is demonstratively enthusiastic. It's infectious.
^Meltzer, Dave (September 3, 2023)."Daily Update: Tony Khan, All Out, Alex Hammerstone".Wrestling Observer Newsletter. RetrievedSeptember 4, 2023.I will give him a lot of credit for this because regardless of arguments about how the situation was handled for the past 18 months, he easily could have just let it ride this weekend since everyone knew Punk was suspended and waited until after the PPV show to announce the firing, and just did the short taped prepared statement for television.
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