Tony Khan Advised to Prioritize Respect Over Popularity After AEW Backstage Incident

AEW President Tony Khan’s passion for professional wrestling can never be questioned, as he truly loves the business. However, he has been subjected to a lot of criticism over the past year. Now it appears Khan has been advised to not be liked but respected after all the backstage drama in AEW.

CM Punk and Jack Perry had been suspended following their backstage confrontation at AEW All In, which eventually led to Tony Khan firing CM Punk. Khan would then provide the reason behind Punk’s firing.

Prior to this, CM Punk did a lot of damage to AEW’s reputation following his outburst at the AEW All Out media scrum and subsequent brawl with The Elite. While speaking to Forbes, Al Snow talked about Tony Khan’s handling of all the drama in AEW. Snow advised Khan to not be liked but respected instead.

“Punk’s got a very strong personality,. The problem with Punk is you have to have strong leadership, and you have to have as strong a personality as the talent do. And that’s where things can go astray.

Advertising

Advertising

I think Tony Khan’s a really good guy, but I think for the sake of AEW in these situations—they always come up, the Punk situation is not an unusual circumstance—we’ve had those type of things happen here. But there’s a certain modicum of respect that I have, and as a result, I’m able to direct those people even when those situations occur. I don’t worry about being liked, I worry about being respected. I think Tony wants to be liked, and he should be more focused on being respected. There were lots of times I didn’t like Vince McMahon. He can be an incredible bully. He could be nasty. I’ve always respected him. Always.”

Ringside News also exclusively reported that CM Punk wants fans to believe WWE is an option for him. As for Tony Khan, we will have to wait and see whether he will pay heed to Al Snow’s advice.

What’s your opinion on Al Snow’s advice? Do you believe Tony Khan needs to learn how to be respected like Vince McMahon? Let us know in the comments!