Tony Khan opened "the forbidden door" at the end of 2020 when Don Callis helped Kenny Omega win the AEW World Title.
The move led to Omega appearing on IMPACT television and eventually winning the IMPACT World Championship. In 2021, AEW has collaborated with IMPACT, NJPW, NWA, AAA, and various independent promotions in exchanging talent.
Appearing on Tuesday Wrestling Tuesday with Jonathan Hood, Khan explained his thought process when it comes to collaborating with other promotions.
"Vince Sr was really cooperative. He booked Andre (The Giant) out all over the country. He would work for AWA and would go to Mid South and work in Houston. Wrestling was much more collaborative before the mid-80s and it was actually one person that made the business less collaborative. I'm trying to bring some of that spirit back. When Vince Sr was running the New York territory, it was a much more collaborative thing," said Khan.
He continued by saying, "IMPACT, AAA, and certainly New Japan, I've done a lot of stuff with. It has to make sense for AEW and we've seen wrestlers from AEW go and capture championships in different promotions around the world. A lot of AEW wrestlers still hold championships in various promotions around the world and it's good for those promotions to have such strong recognizable champions who have a great TV platform to wear their titles and it's good for us because it shows that we're the top company in wrestling, frankly, and a lot of companies out there have had our wrestlers come in and do really well. I'm very open to it and it shows good bonds between the companies and allows us access to good wrestlers. We have one of the best rosters, but it's always good to have fresh and different talent. It's why I like working with other companies. Also, New Japan has had big shows and have great talent specifically. I've done a lot of things with them. The main focus is on AEW and our shows. We have such a big roster and so much bandwidth that it allows us to expand, partner, and help other wrestling companies."
AEW loaned out talent to NWA for EmPowerrr this past weekend as Leyla Hirsch challenged Kamille for the NWA Women's Championship. As IMPACT World Champion, AEW star Christian Cage is regularly featured on IMPACT television.
At AEW All Out, NJPW legend Satoshi Kojima will step into the ring against Jon Moxley. You can view the current lineup for AEW All Out by clicking here.
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