Tony Khan has reaffirmed his commitment to his role at Fulham after being named president of new wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
The company is being bankrolled by Shahid Khan who owns both Fulham and the Jacksonville Jaguars and AEW has already secured a big name in the wrestling world with former WWE star Jericho signing up to be part of the new venture.
Khan Jnr will hold the role with AEW alongside his current roles at the Jags and Fulham, where he is the Senior Vice President, Football Technology and Analytics in the US and Director of Football Operations at Craven Cottage.
The 36-year-old’s role in England sees him head up the club’s recruitment department where he oversees the identification, evaluation, recruitment, and signing of players, with Khan Jnr splitting his time between England and the States during the year.
At present, Khan Jnr is in the country and is working on bringing new signings to Fulham during the January Transfer Window and in a statement released by himself about the scale and focus of new venture AEW, he moved to assure that this new job would not mean any less commitment to the roles he currently holds with both Fulham and the Jaguars.
The statement read: “Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others. I’ve been a part of this community since I was seven-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.”
Meanwhile, Khan Snr also issued a statement to reaffirm fans that the new project won’t “deter attention or divert resources” from any of his teams, projects or businesses he currently has.
His statement read: “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 organisation 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.”
