The latest song added to AEW’s arsenal of well-known tunes is the iconic Guns ’N’ Roses power ballad, “November Rain.” The company is using the song to promote their Full Gear pay-per-view set for Nov. 23, and AEW CEO Tony Khan has since said the company will be able to use the song in perpetuity.
“’November Rain’ has been used in November wrestling pay-per-views decades ago, but never licensed Guns N’ Roses, never fairly compensated, and they were great to work with,” Khan told Fightful’s Iridian Fierro via WGN Radio. “So we work with a lot of the top musicians and licensing and publishing companies to get the top music in AEW, and then like you said, moments in wrestling are so important. You’re so right, and we’ve been able to create a lot of magic moments, in part because of the great music that we’ve been fortunate to license.”
Khan also talked about how easy it was working with Guns N’ Roses. “Well, to be honest, it has been done,” Khan said. “ECW did use ‘November Rain’ as a promotional vehicle. Illegally, without the permission of the artist, but in this case, we’re on TBS and TNT, we gotta do things by the book, and it’s also the right thing to do. Guns N’ Roses is a great band. They are great to work with if you actually call them and try to work something fair out with them. They were awesome, and I was really so pleased we were able to do it. Again, talk about one of those things that will live on and in perpetuity, that video will be able to play. It’s not the first time ‘November Rain’ has been played in association with a wrestling show to promote a major wrestling event in the month of November, but it was the first time we’ve done it in AEW, and it was the first time it’s ever been done by anyone above board, legally, and the right way.”
This has also been the case for other well-known tunes licensed by AEW. “In some cases, we’ve used songs wrestlers previously used illegally, like ‘The Final Countdown,’” Khan said. “Bryan Danielson had entered to that song before AEW, but the band, Europe, was never compensated. Now, they are, and we’ve created lasting memories using that music. Another example is Orange Cassidy. I initially wanted to use ‘Where Is My Mind’ by Pixies, but we also licensed ‘Jane’ by Jefferson Starship, which he had used in the past but never legally. We were happy to compensate the artists and make it official.”
Khan’s full interview can be viewed below.
