Tony Khan has commented on introducing an AEW developmental program.
All Elite Wrestling has established itself as a legitimate competitor to WWE in all aspects ever since its inception in 2019. However, the company has yet to introduce a developmental program similar to WWE’s NXT, ID, NIL, and LFG, and a dedicated training facility like the Performance Center.
A recent report from Fightful Select stated that All Elite Wrestling had discussions about launching its own training facility in early 2025, with Asheville, North Carolina, being a potential location. The report further stated that FTR, Adam Copeland, and Beth Phoenix would’ve helped train and refine the talent. However, the internal rumor was that the cost associated with it was the deciding factor over not doing it.
AEW President Tony Khan has now confirmed that this is indeed the case during the WrestleDream media call, but stated that there was more to the story.
“I am interested in it and it’s something I’ve talked about,” Khan said. “I was kind of surprised to see the report because I’m still interested in that. It’s one of those things where you read something and there’s a lot of truth to it, but then, when you’re around the situation sometimes and you see something reported, sometimes, you say, okay, that’s part of the story, but not the whole story.”
Tony Khan also kayfabed his answer a bit, and pointed out that the on-screen relationship between FTR and Copeland has changed over the course of time, and that he’d love to see them reunite and rekindle the project.
“They are fantastic mentors to people, FTR, Cope, and Christian,” Khan said, “but clearly, earlier this year, the dynamic and the friendship between Adam Copeland and FTR changed a lot. At some point, if we can all get back on the same page, because I know I still get along great of all four of them, I would love to have those guys reunite and be able to rekindle that project we did talk about, which is a real idea about having FTR and Copeland with an AEW-affiliated training school, and working with them and having that project be in their hometown in Asheville, North Carolina.” [H/T Wrestling Inc]
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