AEW President Tony Khan has finally revealed why AEW pay-per-views always go long, despite fan criticism.
While speaking on the post-AEW Full Gear media scrum, Tony Khan explained why AEW pay-per-views are consistently long, noting that the company is contracted to produce shows that run close to four hours.
According to him, every AEW pay-per-view has gone over three and a half hours because they are required to hit around three hours and forty-five minutes. Khan said that if AEW didn’t meet that time, then he would have people to answer to.
“Our contracted time for the show has always been close to four hours. If you look back, every AEW pay-per-view has gone over three and a half hours. There’s never been one under that, because we’re required to run shows that go about three hours and forty-five minutes. If we didn’t, I’d have people to answer to.”
Khan also pointed out that AEW has avoided situations like the old Chi-Town Rumble, where promoters had to send enhancement talent out to wrestle extra time after Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat simply to fulfill a contract.
“Thankfully, we didn’t end up in a Chi-Town Rumble situation where they had to send out enhancement talent to wrestle for 15 minutes after Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat because they didn’t meet their contract time.”
Tony Khan’s explanation makes it clear why AEW shows run so long. The lengthy pay-per-views aren’t a mistake since they’re required by contract, planned ahead of time and meant to give fans as much action as possible at every event. So fans will just have to accept that every pay-per-view will always go long, no matter what.
Do you prefer long AEW pay-per-views with more matches, or would you rather see shorter, tighter events? Share your thoughts and feedback below!
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November 23, 2025 2:24 am
