Tony Khan on WrestleDream, Sting, Cena

AEW CEO Tony Khan called WrestleDream 2025 one of his favorite AEW shows despite fan criticism over the event's length and the absence of stars like Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland, praising the roster and the creative opening choice. He lauded John Cena as “absolutely a legendary pro wrestler,” praised his professionalism, charisma, work ethic and crossover acting success, and noted he has not met Cena as Cena approaches his December 13, 2025 retirement. Khan said he had a touching backstage conversation with Sting following Sting's in-ring retirement after Revolution 2024, and that Sting was pleased with how his retirement run was booked and made a brief WrestleDream appearance. Khan also addressed Andrade’s potential return after his WWE release, expressing respect and excitement about the wrestler’s future despite legal and contractual uncertainties. He expressed interest in staging more AEW shows in Europe and said he hopes Adam Copeland (Edge) will have many more matches despite filming commitments, while some fans reacted strongly to Khan’s comments and urged Cena to finish his run in AEW.