Taylor Swift had already taken over the world of pop music when she descended on the NFL thanks to her ongoing relationship with Travis Kelce, and now she's having an effect on the pro wrestling industry. Nothing so major as what Chiefs fans are dealing with, but AEW boss Tony Khan revealed how a scheduling request tied to the musician's wildly successful Eras Tour caused a change behind the scenes ahead of 2024's All In pay-per-view, and that he hopes to win over some Swifties in the process.
In the aftermath of AEW's Full Gear pay-per-view, which took place on November 18, Khan fielded questions from media outlets at a press conference, where he addressed a wide assortment of topics. All In 2024 was a big one, naturally, as tickets go on sale on December 1st for the company's return to Wembley Stadium after the record-setting show held in 2023. He addressed the importance of the event's timing, as it will take place days after Taylor Swift's second stretch of tour dates, and how the AEW crew will be hustling a little harder behind the scenes ahead of the PPV, all for the benefit of T-Swift and her fans. In his words:
So when Wembley approached us about our load-in and about these Taylor Swift shows, there was an opportunity for them to add more shows, and we are going to do everything we can to abbreviate our load-in time...we said, 'Well it will be costly and very challenging, and we would really like to help you out so yeah, I will.' So we're going to do it and I think there are so many great Taylor Swift fans and Wembley's been great to us. We have a great relationship...hopefully [we'll] score points with a great community of Taylor Swift fans.
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is making oodles and oodles of money, in addition to altering fans' brain chemistry, so it's only logical for Wembley's staff to squeeze out as many sell-out performances as possible, even at the expense of other bookings. AEW may have hosted one of the biggest wrestling shows of all time in the iconic stadium, but Swift is on another plane of popularity, having also turned her tour into one of 2023's biggest theatrical experiences. Thankfully, Tony Khan is more than willing to expend a little extra money and effort to give the pop star's team a wider window to leave.
Khan has reason to stay in the good graces of Wembley Stadium, as the high attendance at their last event was one reason to be optimistic about AEW despite other less-positive issues. Another big show in the UK won't necessarily reduce the sting of Jade Cargill leaving for WWE, but it will continue to prove AEW is just as big of a draw on the international circuit as its primary competitor.
Had Khan been inflexible about allowing Taylor Swift's team to move in, who knows how it might've impacted future opportunities? Of course, it's not like AEW is small potatoes either, but when up against someone who can instantly sell out multiple nights at the biggest arenas in the world, it's somewhat understandable that venues will fall back on prioritizing the more lucrative potatoes.
It's often smart business not to go against Taylor Swift as of late, as other major projects have had to make accommodations to account for her activities. Jason Blum bumped the release of The Exorcist: Believer to avoid the Eras concert film, and I doubt Tony Khan will be the last decision-maker that shifts plans around in order to accommodate Taylor Swift's upcoming projects.
Much like pro wrestling in 2023, Taylor Swift is making a point of taking her show well outside of United States territory. She's currently in Brazil, and after that will make her way to Japan, Australia, Singapore, and more. She truly is such an international sensation that I'd love to see what would happen if she ever was bitten by the pro wrestling bug and switched careers. Did somebody say, "Swiftamania is running wild"?
After an overwhelming critical response to Full Gear, AEW returns to television with a new episode of Dynamite on TBS Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET. I wouldn't expect to see Taylor Swift in attendance, but after Tony Khan did her a solid, who knows what could happen?
