Before the best of the best take the ring at Globe Life Field for the first stateside edition of All In under the AEW moniker, multi-hyphenate owner Tony Khan took to the phone for his big media call before the show.
Discussing all the pressing topics on the show to reporters, from Jon Moxley's lawsuit to WWE counterprograming the event with one of their own, Khan's most interesting question regarded a Day 1 star who worked the original All In show, Britt Baker, who has been off television all year despite not being injured.
Asked about the rumors surrounding Baker's exit from the promotion, Khan shut them down, noting she is still on the roster, even if she's been relegated to the bench.
“I've never had a conversation about Britt departing AEW. I like Britt a lot. I think one thing we've done really well with AEW is build a tight focused show around a really strong roster, and it's been very consistent. And I think we've really had a very, very good year of pay-per-view and TV, and absolutely there are some people that have not been featured, we have a great group of wrestlers that have not necessarily been on the show a lot, or even in some cases, in 2025, that are very talented that we would like to work back in when the opportunity presents itself.
“On a baseball team, you use nine players at a time, in NFL you can put 11 in at a time, and rotate across the snaps, but each play you're only using 11 players. NBA or college basketball, it's five-on-five. Pro-wrestling is unique because you can use a different number of people, but there's still only so many slots you can fit into a show. I think we've done a great job using a lot of the roster this year. We haven't used everybody. There are some really talented people on our bench that we can call in that can be a great part of the show, and I absolutely think that applies to a number of women and men that are not necessarily being featured right now, that we could bring in that would be a great focus on the show as those spots open up and the timing is right to integrate different people into the show. Just like you make substitutions in a sports team, but I think one thing we've done very well this year is not try to force everybody on the show every week, and I think what we have had is really well-paced, excellent wrestling television shows week-in, week-out, with a really focused crew, so I do really wanna continue to that.”
While some will certainly take Khan's “benching” comments as a shot at Baker, he did have some more kind things to say about her, too, noting that, in her case, he has seen incredible professionalism from the Day 1 star.
“But I think Britt's a great example of somebody that's very, very talented and we could utilize in AEW in the right situation at the right time,” Khan said. “Just like in pro sports when you have some really talented people that aren't necessarily starting every game at that point, doesn't mean they won't be starting in the future. If that makes sense. I think it makes sense for me, to look at the AEW roster like a sports team, and trying to manage the minutes but also the rotation. And we've done a really good job with the people we're focusing on right now, but that doesn't mean we can't focus on other people or rotate different people into the show going forward.”
Will Baker make a surprise return at All In, playing a role in the finish or post-show extracurricular activities between Mone and Storm? While only time will tell, if she doesn't, fans will certainly have more questions than answers about her future.
