Add as a preferred source on Google AEW President Tony Khan revealed that he’s been considering putting together a tag team tournament featuring teams from multiple promotions around the world.
The topic came up during the press conference for AEW Redemption, when Bill Bodkin asked Khan directly about the possibility of AEW running a tournament in the style of the Crockett Cup, the NWA’s longstanding tag team tournament.
Khan responded:
“It’s so cool that you asked that because, yes, I have been thinking a lot about having a big tag team tournament with teams throughout the world of wrestling. You mentioned we have a lot of great partner promotions… A lot of great teams we’re building. Teams that are featured in AEW and some that we’re building up to be featured more in AEW, some that haven’t come onto the show at all yet.
But I think there’s a lot of great tag teams there… Yes, I think that’s a great thought and it’s something I have considered, and also would like to do as we continue building up more women’s tag teams, and developing women’s tag teams in AEW and ROH to try to get that same depth hopefully there too…”
The comments make clear the tournament is still just an idea Khan is weighing — there’s no official announcement yet on a date, number of teams, prize, or format. He also extended the idea to the women’s division, saying he’d like to do the same thing once AEW and ROH build up more depth in women’s tag team wrestling.
AEW has used tournaments to shake up its tag team division before. SCU won the tournament that crowned the first AEW World Tag Team Champions in 2019. The Young Bucks won the vacant titles in another elimination bracket in 2024. And in 2025, Babes of Wrath defeated Timeless Love Bombs to become the first AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions.
The tournament model Bodkin asked about is also still active. The Crockett Cup marked its 40th anniversary in 2026, and the current NWA edition featured a 16-team format.
AEW also maintains partnerships with NJPW, CMLL, and STARDOM, promotions that already take part in Forbidden Door. That gives Khan a real foundation for turning the idea into an international tournament without relying solely on AEW’s own roster.
For now, though, the project remains just a possibility. Khan’s comments suggest AEW could turn its international alliances into a recurring tournament while also creating a new spotlight for the women’s tag team division.