Tony Khan Issues Statement On AEW Collision's Abrupt Transmission Cut

AEW President Tony Khan issued a public apology following significant transmission problems that caused the May 17, 2025, broadcast of AEW Collision Beach Break to conclude prematurely. Viewers of the Saturday night program, which was scheduled for a two-hour runtime, saw it end approximately 30 minutes early; TNT viewers were subsequently shown the film “Black Adam,” while users on the Max streaming service encountered a message indicating the event had finished.

Addressing the disruption via a statement on X, Tony Khan attributed the shortened broadcast to persistent technical difficulties. Khan posted, “There are ongoing transmission issues on tonight’s Saturday #AEWCollision, I’m so sorry, we all were expecting a full version to play on @TNTdrama West, but right now an ongoing technical issue that all believed to be fixed is still affecting the transmission of the final half hour even on TNT West.”

There are ongoing transmission issues on tonight’s Saturday #AEWCollision,
I’m so sorry, we all were expecting a full version to play on@TNTdrama West,
but right now an ongoing technical issue that all believed to be fixed is still affecting the transmission of the final half…
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 18, 2025

He also conveyed that the company was working to upload the complete version of AEW Collision Beach Break to the Max streaming platform promptly and reiterated his apology for the broadcast complications and the inconvenience to the audience.

Ric Flair Returns to AEW for Steve “Mongo” McMichael Tribute

Ric Flair made an emotional return to AEW television on the May 17, 2025, episode of Collision Beach Break, his first prominent appearance since being involved in Sting’s retirement match at the Revolution 2024 event. Flair, who had announced his planned appearance earlier in the week via social media, returned to honor the life and career of former professional football player and wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael.

McMichael passed away on April 24 at the age of 67, following a prolonged and public battle with ALS. The tribute on AEW Collision, facilitated by announcer Tony Schiavone, featured Flair sharing his sentiments about McMichael. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke of McMichael’s character, stating, “to be the man, you have to beat the man, and Mongo was more man than anyone Flair has ever known.”