Tony Khan has identified four stars he believes have become vital to AEW’s future, highlighting a group of recent arrivals who have quickly established themselves as some of the promotion’s most important talents.
Speaking with radio station Q93, the AEW President was asked who he considers to be the company’s modern-day “pillars.” While noting that fans would likely have a wide range of opinions on the subject, Tony Khan singled out four names that he believes have become key figures in the promotion.
Those names were Thekla, Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, and Mercedes Mone.
“That’s a great question. It’s tricky because it’s somewhat in the eye of the beholder,” Khan said. “You could ask 100 fans to pick four pillars, and they might have 99 different answers.”
Khan went on to explain why he selected the quartet, noting that all four have made a major impact since arriving in AEW.
“If I were to pick from a young group right now that has come in in recent years, I would say, of the new arrivals, you’d have Thekla, Kevin Knight, I think Kyle Fletcher, and, looking up and down the roster, Mercedes Mone.”
Tony Khan Is Happy With The Way AEW’s Roster Has Grown & Changed Since The Company’s Inception
The AEW President praised the company’s ability to continue strengthening its roster through free agency and said the four stars have become increasingly important to the promotion.
“When I look at the AEW stars, we had a great roster at the very beginning, and we’ve brought in great free agents as we’ve gone on that have come in in recent years,” Tony Khan said. “Those would be four great people who have come into AEW in recent years that are now very important in the company.”
Thekla and Knight currently hold championship gold in AEW as the Women’s World Champion and TNT Champion, respectively. Fletcher and Mone are also former champions, having enjoyed successful runs since joining the promotion.
The comments come ahead of a potentially significant weekend for AEW’s women’s division. If Thekla retains the Women’s World Championship against Starlight Kid at Forbidden Door and Mone wins the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, the two could be on course for a major title match at All In 2026.
