Tony Khan has a strong team surrounding him in All Elite Wrestling, but the buck stops with him.
It’s no secret that Khan is the President of AEW. He is active on social media about all things AEW, but (mercifully) does not appear on television as an authority figure.
Earlier this week, Tony Khan tweeted that he signed Ricky Starts to an AEW contract after an impressive showing on this week’s Dynamite.
Wrestling statistician Craig from Pro Wrestling Musings noted that Tony Khan said “he” personally signed Starks, not “we” – as in, the company or the wrestlers who serve as AEW Executive Vice Presidents.
(Full disclosure: Craig has previously served as a correspondent for SEScoops)
Craig wrote, “‘I signed’ not ‘We signed’. Be aware of what you are watching. Yes, it’s a great product. Yes, it’s better than WWE morally. But it is not the same product as All In. Be aware of what you are watching. ‘For the wrestlers by the wrestlers’, it is not.”
Tony Khan Sets The Record Straight
Tony Khan responded to Craig taking issue with him stating that he personally signed Ricky Starks. AEW’s lineage and genesis are linked to the [independent] All In event, but Khan never claimed it’s the same product.
“I’m transparent on how we work,” he replied. “We have a great group of execs in leadership roles, many are star wrestlers, & I work closely with them, & I’m accessible for all staff & wrestlers. This isn’t a public company, I’m in 100% control of everything.”
Craig clarified that he is mostly supportive of AEW as a game-changing company. He was simply objecting to the idea of “the at the top being deified.” He then asked Tony Khan to help him with all the backlash he was getting on Twitter for his remarks. Khan replied:
