Felix Upton on October 15, 2023
Tony Khan makes all the calls in AEW, but the real question remains of how many of those ideas were actually his to begin with. There are some politically savvy people in AEW, and they may have their own way of dealing with the boss. That being said, everything is a learning process.
The main topic on the latest Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast this week just happened to be Tony Khan. During the show, Matt Hardy was asked, “If there’s a disagreement on the creative process, or presentation, or whatever it may be, how is that settled? What is that process like?
The former WWE Superstar and current AEW talent said that he is the kind of talent who makes the most of an idea, but there are some members of the roster who have not treated Tony Khan’s creative process in the same way.
“Well, I am one that if I’m offered an idea, I typically try and make the most of it and I try and do everything I can to make it as good as possible. There are guys who have had ideas given to them by Tony that they didn’t necessarily like, and they just didn’t do them because I guess they didn’t want to. Then there’s been times where guys have been home, and, you know, like, if you haven’t seen someone in a while, you say, ‘Oh, well, you know, creative differences, whatever.’ So I guess they’ll kind of hang out and be off TV until they figure out something that they really like.”
“I’ve never been in a heated argument with anyone about a creative idea that I didn’t like that much. I mean, I’ve been given some crazy, creative ideas I’ve just kind of shook my head at and maybe there’s stuff I didn’t want to do, and, you know, we’ve talked about some of those. That whole idea that was given to have me team with Mark Henry and Mattitude was oppressed and whatnot, you know, so that’s pretty crazy creative, and you just go, okay. I kind of roll with the punches and I feel like that’s probably helped me with my longevity and just being around for a while, whatever. But I guess if Tony pitches an idea that you don’t like, and you don’t want to do, you don’t end up doing. He doesn’t force people into doing stuff.”
When Matt Hardy was asked if he feels that Tony Khan is taken advantage of, he had to admit that it does happen. He said that Tony Khan has been through “experiences” and he had to learn from that, but he’s also “learning on the fly.”
“Yes, I mean, I think it has happened in the past for sure. But you know, I think once you go through those experiences, you learn from them and I think Tony has done that. I mean, he’s learning on the fly. This whole thing is a huge, huge responsibility to be a wrestling promoter, booker, run a company, especially with all the other stuff he has going on. So yeah, he’s learning on the job while he’s doing it. I’m sure there’s been people that have taken advantage of his kindness, but he will continue to learn and grow, and he will be able to get past that, I’m sure. going forward.”
AEW receives a lot of criticism, and it all stops with Tony Khan. That being said, the pressure of his company’s current mission to dethrone WWE may have gotten to him.
Tony Khan’s recent social media activity has seen him call WWE higher-ups “bald assholes.” TK took a shot at Shawn Michaels’ booking for NXT. He also had a lot to say about Vince McMahon’s controversies. He followed that up by shading The Undertaker and John Cena for not pulling 1 million viewers for the October 10th episode of NXT.
Tony Khan went off on X, and he directed his venom at WWE. After accusing WWE of contract tampering, he also went on to say that “WWE avatar accounts” turned their wrath on his mother while she was recovering from a near-death experience.
We will keep an eye on Tony Khan, and everything he is doing on social and with his company, right here at Ringside News. You never know what he will post next, but we will be here to report on whatever happens next.
What’s your take on how Tony Khan is running AEW? Let us know what you think about things in the comments section!
October 15, 2023 12:57 pm
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