AEW News: Shad Khan’s role in AEW officially announced, what is known about the AEW power structure so far (Updated)

Shad and Tony Khan have both issued statements about their involvement in AEW via a press release. As was widely known, Shad Khan officially announced that he is the financial backer of AEW in the press release. His son, Tony, will be in charge of running the company as president, which was known, but not mentioned in the press release. Shad owns the Jacksonville Jaguars team in the NFL.

In terms of the structure of management in AEW what is known so far besides the roles of Tony and Shad Khan is that The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes will serves as executive VPs in the promotion. Brandi Rhodes was also announced recently as the Chief Brand Officer, which is the same title Stephanie McMahon carries in WWE.

Also working behind the scenes for AEW will be former ROH office staffers B.J. Whitmer and Jeff Jones.

Update: Cody Rhodes introduced Billy Gunn as AEW’s first official producer ahead of the rally. You can see AEW’s tweet below with Cody introducing Gunn.

#AEW #DoubleOrNothing Rally @AEWrestling first producer @RealBillyGunn pic.twitter.com/jsRlgshjQm

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) January 8, 2019

You can read the entire press release below:

SHAD KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019

I am the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling, and I anticipate great things today and into the future for AEW and everyone who has worked passionately on this week’s launch. I know AEW will be welcomed by wrestling fans here in the U.S. and throughout the world who are ready for something new and authentic. AEW will work hard to deliver on that promise.

As important, I am the father – the proud father – of Tony Khan, who will serve in a leadership role at AEW during the 2019 launch and in the years ahead. Tony will assemble a great team to take AEW over the top, for the benefit of everyone who loves the wrestling industry, while continuing to serve in his current capacities with the Jaguars and Fulham.

AEW will operate as an organization completely independently from my other interests. It will not deter attention or divert resources from any of my businesses, teams, projects or investments. At the same time, AEW will enjoy the same full commitment I given to everything and everyone in my life – my family and friends, my business and, in recent years, to sports, hospitality and now entertainment.

TONY KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others. I’ve been a part of this community since I was 7 years old, and I can tell you that wresting fans see the world every day through a special lens. We see wrestling in Hollywood films and tv shows, we see elements of wrestling in the presentation of sports and in the marketing of grandiose star athletes, and we certainly see wrestling in politics.

The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wresting but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.

AEW does not mean any less of a continued commitment to existing obligations and duties that I have, or my family has, to our business and sports interests. That will never be the case. What’s important is that every individual decision we make as family, whether it’s ownership or investment in a team or property, is 100 percent beneficial to those specific interests. I will always welcome that accountability and responsibility, as nothing is more important than serving our supporters and friends.

AEW will launch with a roster of the top wrestlers in the world. While they’ll clash in what will be some of the most intense and fast-paced contests ever sanctioned in the squared circle, they’ll also share a common goal: to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a wrestling fan. Likewise, as a business, by treating our wrestlers with respect and warmth, we also seek to make this the golden age for the performers themselves.

I urge everyone who believes in what we’re doing, or wants to believe in dreams coming true, to support AEW by spreading the word and passing the wrestling bug onto someone else. My message: Get in on the ground floor with AEW today and help lead our movement to grow the wrestling community and ensure that the voices of the wrestling fans, their creative minds and their remarkable ideas, will always be heard.