Tony Khan says that he “spent more than I’d planned going into this year” and cited budgetary reasons for the recent AEW & ROH releases.

Speaking at Saturday morning’s post-Supercard of Honor media scrum, Khan was asked why he had changed course and decided to release a group of performers from their contract rather than let them expire as he had in the past.

Khan cited a high production budget and an aggressive dip into the free agent market as reasons.

Khan’s response:

I think that this year I have been very active not only in the free agent market, but in the production budget. There are things tonight, like for example, on one song alone, I spent like a year’s pay for most pro wrestlers in this business.

And the budget not only with free agency, but production, is very high. And also we’re going into a contract year. And I plan to continue on being very active not only in free agency, but in the production of the show and producing great content.

Going into this year, I have to look at where we’re at. I’d really spent more than I’d planned going into this year.

So I really love our roster and where we’re at, I’m very supportive of everybody we have here and everyone who’s ever worked here.

I think I really appreciate everything they did when they were here.

And this particular group, it was not an easy set of choices to make, and in particular with this group of wrestlers we just released, I would be happy to take any of them back under the right circumstance. I have no bridge burned with any of them.

And like I said, even with The Boys, I disagree with the point on travel and that in the history of ROH and working with us that there hadn’t been a couple times where they didn’t make it and made me change stuff, but on the other hand I really like both of them.

And whether we agree or not about that point of contention, I think it’s regardless, I think they were great. They were a great part of Dalton’s act. I like both the Tates.

I like everybody we released in this last batch recently and I’m wishing nothing but the best for any of them.