Paul Wight has called on Tony Khan to book a full UK tour for AEW.
Since AEW first crossed the pond in 2023 to hold All In at Wembley Stadium in London, the UK has become part of the promotion’s annual schedule. As well as heading back to London for All In again in 2024 and 2026, and Forbidden Door in 2025, AEW has held Dynamite and Collision in cities around the UK. However, the company is yet to do a full, multi-stop tour of the country.
During an interview with Sporf, Paul Wight revealed that soon after joining AEW in 2021, he began pushing Tony Khan to put on a show in the UK. While Wight had suggested the O2 Arena as a starting point, Khan went All In on the much larger Wembley Stadium instead.
“Literally, I just inked my deal with AEW, and we were talking about plans for AEW and making it grow, which I’m very excited about. I said, ‘man, I’m telling you, we’ve got to get to London. We’ve got to work in O2 Arena. It’d be so great for our talent. I know the UK London fans perfectly. They will absolutely love AEW and what we bring to the table. They will be massive for it. We’ve got to get into O2 Arena.’
“Of course, Tony Khan being a smart billionaire, he went right around O2 Arena and went straight to Wembley Stadium and sold 80,000 plus tickets. So, well, there you go. That’s why I work for him. He’s got the big brain.”
Wight continued to praise the UK’s pro wrestling environment, saying he wants to see the promotion branch out with a two-week tour, taking in cities like Sheffield and Birmingham as well as the places where AEW has already established a presence.
“So, yeah, London’s become our global destination. We’ve had great success over here. We love coming over here. I’m personally pushing to do more television over here. I know we’ve done a small one in Scotland. I want us to do more work over here. It’s just a great environment to come over here.
“I would love to do like a couple of week tour over here. I know the logistics are hard on that, but hit like Birmingham, Sheffield, all the places that I’ve hit over the years with those great arenas, that great environment, cause you know, what’s the word you guys are rabid over here as far as fans go. That’s a great opportunity for AEW going forward in the future.
“I’m sure we’re going to explore this market much more with live events and televised events. But, you know, August 30th, that’s going to be a big one.”
Paul Wight Signs New Deal With AEW
Paul Wight will have plenty of time to push for more UK shows as the star recently extended his contract with AEW. While the length of the extension is unknown, he is said to be “firmly under contract” with AEW moving forward.
The news came only weeks after Paul Wight revealed he is working towards an in-ring return. While he knows he won’t be competing for championships, Wight is just hoping to have “a little fun” in the ring before he hangs up his boots for good.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.
