RJ City joked, but Tony Khan was dead serious
Pour yourself a double shot of whatever gets you through a Monday morning on wrestling Twitter. Over the weekend, RJ City cracked a joke on social media about an 'AEW Radio' station, but Tony Khan didn't get the punchline — or maybe he got it so well that he decided to make it official company strategy. Khan confirmed that an AEW Podcast Network is officially in the works, directly responding to WWE's recent rollout of WWE Radio on SiriusXM.
If you've been following the wrestling media arms race, you knew this move was coming down the pipe eventually. WWE has been aggressively expanding its digital footprint with audio programming, audiobooks, and exclusive satellite radio channels. Tony Khan wasn't about to sit back and let Stamford hoard all the podcast bandwidth. But as soon as the headline hit the feeds, the smarks, marks, and casual listeners immediately split into three distinct camps.
The Hype: 'Give us uncut, unscripted wrestler talk'
The optimistic side of the AEW fandom is already compiling their dream lineup of hosts. Enthusiasts are pointing out that AEW's roster is packed with some of the best talkers and most fascinating personalities in the entire industry. Give Taz a weekly two-hour show where he just breaks down suplexes and argues with callers about coffee, and people will gladly subscribe on day one.
The argument for the enthusiast side is pretty straightforward: AEW's strength has always been letting talent express themselves without a script. A dedicated podcast network could give underutilized stars a platform to build character outside of the tight two-hour window on Dynamite. If Taz, Renee Paquette, or Eddie Kingston get mic freedom on a official corporate feed, it could produce pure audio gold that feeds directly back into TV storylines.
The Skeptics: 'Do we really need another wrestling podcast?'
On the flip side, the skepticism is thick enough to cut with a kendo stick. The contrarians and exhausted listeners on r/SquaredCircle and Twitter are asking a valid question: is the market not already completely saturated? Almost every retired wrestler, referee, and backstage agent already has a weekly podcast where they complain about modern workrates or break down 1995 mid-card booking.
Skeptics are already groaning at the thought of corporate-approved audio content. The concern is that an official AEW network won't feature the raw, chaotic energy fans actually want. Instead, critics fear it will end up as a sanitized PR tool where wrestlers just read company talking points and recap last night's Dynamite. If it's just two hours of scripted promotional banter without real spice, fans will flip back to their favorite independent wrestling feeds in ten seconds flat.
The Verdict: Execution is everything
Look, the skeptics make a fair point about podcast fatigue, but Tony Khan's gamble actually makes total sense from a brand infrastructure standpoint. WWE Radio proved there is still a massive appetite for direct-to-fan audio, especially for hardcore fans who consume wrestling content while commuting or working out. But here is the hard truth: AEW cannot just clone WWE's playbook and expect the same results.
For this network to succeed, Khan needs to let AEW be AEW. That means no slick corporate PR speak, no sterile recap shows, and no micromanaged scripts. Give us Eddie Kingston dissecting 90s All Japan tapes, let RJ City host an unhinged interview show, and let the roster talk real wrestling. If they deliver genuine personality instead of corporate fluff, AEW Podcast Network will be an absolute smash hit for the fanbase.
