Below are in-depth notes from the All Out Media Scrum. There were questions related to CM Punk, Jack Perry and more.
The following notes are courtesy of F4WOnline and PWInsider.
Tony Khan said he was proud of the staff and the fans of AEW with everything they accomplished in London and he was excited to come to Chicago to come and follow it. He feels they had six excellent pay-per-view events this year and last week was one of their biggest ever.
Khan said they have had over 100,000 buys for All Out so far.
Khan said the United Center had roughly 10,000 fans. He didn’t provide an exact number.
Khan also said back to back pay-per-view events were exciting. He believed it was one of the best gambles ever in pro wrestling history and will be one of the best moves ever. He then said it was something special and that’s why he wanted to do it. He then went on to say that it makes sense and people were attracted to the shows. They have something really unique there.
Adam Cole spoke and said the vibe of the locker room and the excitement of the last few weeks did not go unnoticed. Cole said they are just excited for the future of the company. Thinking about the next 2,5,10 years has everyone excited.
There was a question about CM Punk. Khan did not respond about what he had learned from the CM Punk era and what he would institute going forward to prevent such a thing from happening again. He just let Cole answer about the vibe and then moved to the next question.
Cole said that he is having the most fun he’s had in 15 years in wrestling with his pairing with MJF. He noted that the two were just “thrown together” and neither thought it would click as well as it has. Cole said that he and MJF are open to facing any tag team on the AEW or ROH roster in defending the Ring of Honor Tag Team titles.
Christian Cage was up next. When asked about the possibility of Adam Copeland (Edge) coming to AEW, Christian Cage blew off the question off and said he only talks about his friends and himself and his only friend is Luchasaurus. (He stayed in character the entire time). He then mentioned his new “Big Fat Contract” and deserved every penny that he got.
Khan said that the upcoming WrestleDream pay-per-view is something he is excited about. When he learned of Antonio Inoki’s passing, he marked the date and started planning ahead. Khan said New Japan Pro Wrestling will be sending some of their top stars to the PPV, which takes place on October 1 in Seattle, WA.
Khan said he hopes to have Jade Cargill, back in soon. He said everyone will have to stay tuned as to when and where.
Kris Statlander was asked about Mercedes Mone. She said that she would welcome the challenge. She also mentioned having a rematch with Jade Cargill and said future challengers could be Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, Saraya, and Willow Nightingale.
Statlander said that she appreciates everyone’s concern for her health after returning from two knee injuries, but that she would not have come back if she was not capable of doing everything in the ring she could before her injuries. She noted that she has not modified her in-ring style since returning.
She put over Orange Cassidy as her best friend and said that the Best Friends group with herself, Cassidy, Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor are legitimately best friends who travel together and hang out together.
Kris Statlander then said she is willing to prove her win over Jade was not a fluke.
Bryan Danielson came out next. He said that Ricky Starks was an excellent opponent. He said Starks carried him through that match.
Danielson said he and Blackpool Combat Club like to test people and part of that is story and part of that is real.
Danielson said he loved All In: London. He kept watching and wondering how “they were going to top that” and then saw Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy. He said he thinks Moxley might be the best wrestler in the world and the other argument is Orange Cassidy.
Danielson was asked about stepping into the creative end of Collision. He said that you step up when you need to step up.
On his health, Bryan said there was a lot of “smoke and mirrors” and there was nothing more dangerous than usual. They conferred everything with AEW doctors and Bryan’s surgeon.
On the events of last week regarding CM Punk, Bryan said those things that are now behind them, but AEW did awesome and everyone is excited to do what they do.
Khan talked about using Europe’s “Final Countdown”, he would love to use it again. The rights are in multiple hands and it is something he will continue to work on He said he thinks it would be beneficial to the band Europe and the rights holders, etc.
Danielson said his family watched the match. His daughter did not like it but his three old son did.
Danielson then suggested Jimmy Jacobs to work with Tony Khan as a coordinator as Jacobs flies everywhere with Tony now and works out of Jacksonville, Florida.
Khan said he is really proud of his crew for their work the last few weeks, especially given all the miles they flew.
With Sonny Kiss being removed from the roster page, Khan said he really likes Sonny but he can’t renew every contract with limited TV time. He said he has worked on not having to make cuts of 20-30 talent at a time. He said there is always a chance for Sonny to come back, as Stu Grayson did. He said that the loss of Dark and Elevation has led to a change. They have a big roster, but the TV spots are tight. Kiss and other talents who are not with the company are always having an eye kept on.
The show gave them the chance to feature ROH and New Japan champions.
On having talents on both Dynamite and Collision going forward, Khan suggested there will be some you see on both shows. Fans may see Bryan Danielson more on Collision. He has tried to create a different identity between the two shows and there are some who have been on one or the other that could appear on either show.
He said that he felt CJ Perry was a good surprise.
When asked about Jack Perry, Khan said he is suspended indefinitely. That is all that he could say about that.
When asked about if CM Punk has a non-compete, Khan said he did not want to discuss the terms of the separation. He thanked Punk for what he did for AEW. It said it was the right move and as far as what will happen in the future, he cannot speak on that, as he is not the attorneys who interprets that language.
Khan also stated that this was the most challenging week for him professionally, not just because of wrestling-related matters, but because of this time of year and the Premier League Transfer Window. He said that he worked 24 hours a day for several days without sleep and it was hard. From a wrestling standpoint, everyone hit it out of the park while being stretched in a way they never expected and in unprecedented territory. He then said what they did this week hopefully bodes well for the future of the company, the media rights, etc.
The full media scrum can be watched below, along with some highlights from the PPV.
As of this writing, AEW still has the media scrum named as All In on their YouTube Channel.