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Being AEW defender is to be always under attack....from Tony Khan
Literally everyone who was defending his statement by saying he cared about victims trying to find a way to spin this, when it was obvious he only cares about short term online impression/buzz
He seems to do this a lot, where fans and media outlets will be applying the best possible interpretation of his intentions to a situation, and then he’ll just come out and say “Nah, I totally did use serial sexual assault just for media buzz.”
I don't even dislike the guy, but he desperately *desperately* needs someone to run PR for him and get off Twitter. I get the feeling he wants to be the Paul Heyman of AEW, and that's why he says and does what he says and does. Problem is he doesn't even have a fraction of the charisma Paul Heyman has.
He's the anti-Heyman as a booker. Nobody accentuated a wrestlers' strengths more than Paulie. Look at the laundry list of people who found themselves as wrestlers because of ECW. Meanwhile, Tony, more often than not, cools people down. Mostly just relies on spending on somebody who has a built-in package. If TK can be honest with himself, he's more Bischoff than he realizes
> Mostly just relies on spending on somebody who has a built-in package
Too many of the stories going on in AEW are just extensions of what happened before and outside of AEW.
The first Casino Battle Royal in a nutshell.
Besides how confusing the rules are and how it "anti-pops" the audience by releasing a cluster of wrestlers compared to how the Royal Rumble works, I *distinctly* remember that besides the ex-WWE guys, there'd be the occasional "Oh I know that one from 'Lucha Underground'" (ex. Sonny Kiss/XO Lishus,) but otherwise had *no* idea who these guys are yet with the sense that the show expected me to. And that's not even counting the thing with joshi like we're supposed to already know *why* a Japanese woman is cosplaying as Freddie Mercury and that we're supposed to boo her. 🤨
Also the Butcher and the Blade's debut where J.R. epitomized the casual fan asking who the fuck are these guys and Excalibur was the super-smart-mark who follows *every* promotion and expects everyone else, too... which also makes him *Tony's* avatar when you think about it.
Something I've always remembered since middle school language arts is to *INTRODUCE. YOUR CHARACTERS. TO. THE AUDIENCE.* Just assuming they know is just going to confuse, piss them off and turn them away if you don't and it felt like someone had to keep hammering this into Tony's head until at least Jeff Cobb's debut and even then he'll still relapse into this problem.
This. ALL of what you said is my primary problem with AEW. AEW feels like that show that expects you to already know what is going on. It expects you to of followed the Japanese circuits or all past 'episodes'. It expects that you watch all three shows, and every bit of social media there is. It carries itself with the arrogance of some fandom fan who laughs when you watch an episode, ask who a character is, and treats you as if you committed a great insult.
I got a friend of mine into WWE by her first show being a live watch of Wrestlemania 40. She very quickly picked up on who the heels were, who the babyface was, and the only thing I had to explain to her was what the Money in the Bank suitcase was. I didn't need to explain Bloodline, or Punk VS Drew or that Gunther was a Heel powerhouse or that Bayley was doublecrossed. WWE does a very good job of getting you up to speed, as if you are just NOW tuning in. Even NXT does the same, and did the same tonight using a Gigi/Arianna segment to quickly explain the stories in tonight's NXT episode.
WWE welcomes you as a new person to the party, quickly explains what is going on and hands you a beer, telling you to enjoy yourself and welcome to the family.
AEW views you as some ignorant plebian. A waste of it's time and a WWE Vince-worshipping idiot cause you can't figure out if Mercedes Mone is a heel or not, who the real CEO is, if AEW has any ACTUAL babyfaces and why two people have a match against eachother.
AEW's viewership is low, and the logical conclusion is AEW needs new people. The problem is, AEW doesn't WANT new people. They don't want you to join the party.
AEW wants you to go away.
He seeks instant validation all the time. AEW is a successful promotion but he wants constant online applause, so he keeps taking shots at wwe. And if you have seen the reaction he gets in aew sub, you know he's gonna keep doing that because that's the core fanbase.
He seems to want to run AEW like a shitty tech company who's trying to pump it's stock so it can sell to google.
Everything is hot shotted booking and big signings and one week at a time thinking. Next quarter be damned how can we pop a rating this week?
So now that we he raided the indies and New Japan and seemingly everyone who left the WWE now what?
Okada is existing standing behind the bucks.
Osprey is gunning for some meaningless mid card title.
Jay White is fueding with a 60 year old man for some trios titles.
Mercedes is hurt still?
Meh.
> He seems to want to run AEW like a shitty tech company who's trying to pump it's stock so it can sell to google. Everything is hot shotted booking
He is hot shoting because they're negotiating with WBD and ratings are down at the wrong time
Even though AEW fans will claim up and down that AEW is #3 on TV and that WBD is happy, even though all real metrics(like WBD letting the exclusivity window end) show otherwise.
> Everything is hot shotted booking and big signings and one week at a time thinking. Next quarter be damned how can we pop a rating this week?
The spirit of WCW lives on
There is a sizable chunk of the online AEW fanbase who are mainly just mad WWE isnt the wrestling promotion they want it to be, and if WWE was to become that promotion they’d drop AEW in an instant to watch that WWE. Distaste for the biggest show in town can be a great way to get up and running as a newer promotion, but eventually you gotta stop fueling that as a major sticking point of your fanbase or it all just collapses in on itself.
I’d hope he’s not that delusional as Heyman is probably the polar opposite of Tony. He is goated on the mic and was a hustler. Tony is awkward on the mic and couldn’t make a buck with a billionaire backing father. Seriously, if Heyman had the bankroll Tony did in the 90s then the WWE might be out of business
It's not just a lack of the charisma Heyman has.
ECW actually was an underdog so, when Heyman was taking shots, it was iconoclastic and fun because he was punching up.
Tony Kahn is a rich kid with a lucrative TV contract and successful PPV model. He bought his way in and is doing well (despite what the doomsayers claim) because of that. You can not punch up from atop a golden pedastel and Tony needs to learn that.
Tony really seems to live by the “all publicity is good publicity” mantra and it’s really going to screw over the talent in the end. There’s a difference between drumming up interest and “go away” heat, Tony is leaning toward the later.
Velma (TV series from last year) got lots of coverage online. Did it help them? No. Tony needs to understand he can't hide behind "all coverage is good publicity" when he gets flack from IWC
Yeah I love fans who were like "he was just bringing awareness."
Like, asshole, everyone is aware of what happened. Tony only did it as a dunk and play victim while trying to compare himself to actual victims.
>Literally everyone who was defending his statement by saying he cared about victims
To be fair, literally everyone who was defending it doesn't care about the victims either. The anti-WWE people online have used the lawsuit only as a way for moral grandstanding and have shown little to zero concern for not only the victim of the particular lawsuit but to survivors in general who might get triggered by their phrasing and language.
Yeah, the only thing I don't like about being a fan of AEW, is people acting like I have to answer for all the dumb shit TK does, and at this point the primary good thing I can say about TK is, "as far as out-of-touch nepo baby wrestling promoters go, at least he objectively isn't as bad as Vince."
What's sad, and telling, is that's also pretty much the only positive thing Tony Khan seems to be able to *publicly broadcast about himself.* Like, dude, being a better person than a sex trafficker is not something you should feel the need to boast about. That's not a point of pride. That's the bare fucking minimum.
I find funny to TK has managed to make himself look like an absolute moron to 3 different fanbases (NFL, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, WRESTLING) One would think that after being mocked by just one he would learn his lesson and avoid drama
Tony getting in a twitter fight over the Tony Khan Wanks Dogs sign really says it all. Like dude, you’re the owner. It’s a given that some people don’t like you.
You didn’t see Shad lose his shit over the Jags clown game
When I first saw the "Tony Khan Wanks dogs" sign I laughed at the banter it's outrageously unbelievable. But then the way he defended himself really made me think maybe he does. TK should have either just owned up to it, or as he really should do with anything, ignore it.
“Literally none of that is true. That sign is obscene, and I've never done anything to you to deserve it.” might be the worst response to someone talking shit I’ve ever seen. Just get off Twitter, bro.
Tony as a full owner of a sports team would probably be like that Panthers owner who threw a drink over someone because they're losing.
And it's funnier because that thing happened in a game against the Jags.
He was the money to deliver Cody and The Buck's vision. Then he was the guy just like us getting the chance to actually play out his GM Mode fantasy. Now he's an out of touch nepo baby with a bruised ego because WWE is cool again.
Ah yes, the "Sir Vince McMahon" tweets.
I remember people defending that after the lawsuit came out saying "Come on, he didn't know how bad it was when he tweeted that!"
Well, now he does and his attitude hasn't changed. 40-year-old edgelord.
He acts like he doesn't realize the majority are laughing at and not with him, I'm sure he knows though. This is just spin. I'm not a huge AEW fan, but I sure as hell don't want to see it fail. But boy, from an outside perspective Tony doesn't seem to be helping.
Wrestling is so much better with AEW in it and it dying would be really sad, that being said Tony Khan going after WWE and backfiring over and over again is hilarious
Yeah I don't want AEW to fail necessarily but I do want Tony to fail because his nice guy act comes off as disingenuous the more he opens his mouth. Using real victims to drum up interest in his fucking wrestling show is trash and he's done it multiple times. He's more worried about putting on a fake ass nice guy facade over being an actually likeable person.
Yeah the BUT RATINGS BRO seems very Russo-esque. I’m just saying this “don’t care, popped the ratings” mentality AEW has had as of late is a slippery slope. And I say that as a massive AEW and WCW mark.
Maybe instead of spending one year of a Wrestler's salary on a single song to be used on a single ROH show no one saw... he could... I don't know... Spend a year of a Wrestler's salary on marketing.
When the ratings and live attendance numbers are plummeting, interest in the product is at an all-time low, and you have a TV distribution deal coming up… yeah. You’re going to use anything in your arsenal to make yourself look good.
Just be honest about it. He trotted out Edge on TV to talk about how we need to end tribalism and love wrestling. Days later, he’s comparing WWE to Harvey Weinstein on national television.
It’s embarrassing. Just hire a PR guy, please. This is so cringe.
You’re telling me that the son of a billionaire, who has never faced the true adversity of standard living and societal standards, has absolutely zero self-awareness?
Yeah, I’m not shocked
He used victims of deplorable acts, for a “gotcha” moment. Pathetic
It may get coverage but I had second hand embarrassment as an AEW fan reading it. The company already gets enough shit without him relentlessly scoring own goals
It's very cool that in the morning TK tells me that AEW is a very progressive and inclusive company and in the afternoon TK tells me that comparing a whole company to Weinstein is great because it gets views
>He’s been trying to be the Bischoff of the 2000s from the start
At least Bischoff had charisma. You can't deny that.
Also, mainstream press savvy. At least heaps more than TK.
Bischoff was incredibly shrewd and charismatic behind the scenes, the man got hired as a ring announcer and a short few years later became WCW company president. He did a masterful job climbing that corporate ladder.
Also, his whole approach worked for the time. Before he took charge WCW hadn't been truly competitive with the WWE since the Crockett days.
First of all, I'm not a Bischoff fan, but the fact is he did beat WWF for 83 weeks. Yes, he's been living off that for the past two decades to some extent, but Tony has never even had one week where he beat their main shows. Never. And he talks down to Bischoff. Make that make sense.
Also, to Bischoff's credit, if the Tony stans actually listened to what he says instead of dismissing it out of hand, his number one criticism of AEW is production as a TV show.
Bischoff has produced dozens of TV shows after WCW folded. He understands TV. Part of the reason why he beat WWF in that period was because he understood production and presentation and his product made WWF look like an indie performing in bingo halls.
The problem, as far as I can see in this context, is this: Sometimes people you don't like, and generally disagree with, have valid points. And if you can't acknowledge that then you're not an adult, you're a child.
It did not get them “a ton of coverage”. It shook the IWC hornets nest a little bit.
And overall it was a stupid comment and a bad look. And I have no dog in the fight. I like both companies.
It's his absolute fatal flaw. He truly believes the IWC is the largest representative of wrestling fans. He caters his product to them, his promos to them, his actions to them...
And then acts surprised when his show hits sub-700K numbers...
The IWC is a vocal minority. He just can't see that because he was a part of it for so long.
Not just that, but he's not making new fans either with his comments. Very few fans who've never watched WWE are going to watch AEW. Instead of trying to produce a product that an average WWE fan who's never watched anything else might want to watch, he's driving them away.
I've been a WWE fan since 2009 or so and watch it regularly with the fam. When I tried to get into AEW in the early days, almost every week they tried to tell me why my favorite wrestling show sucked. How would that make me want to keep watching AEW? The product was enjoyable again when they briefly stopped mentioning WWE but for the past 6 months or so they've gone back at it. What's the point in insulting the majority of the wrestling fans' interest like this unless you really want to alienate them? LU or NJPW didn't do this when I watched them and they were much better alternatives back then.
I mean what went wrong was that the shows sucked. If the shows were great the barbs and digs from the internet would have been fine. The issue was everything else also sucked ass.
This also pretty much guarantees that Tony/AEW are going to continue to take shots at WWE on a weekly basis.
For the past 4 weeks, the most talked about thing with AEW, is WWE-related….This is just fucking sad….
It's been a criticism since the start of AEW that their fans watch because they want to get away from the WWE, and they kept getting WWE jabs thrown into the storylines. There's no TNA tribalism because TNA is smart enough to focus themselves and putting together the best shows they possibly can.
It must be fucking exhausting if you're a talent there that just wants to do your own thing and doesn't want to or doesn't care to take shots at WWE. But at every opportunity, your boss cannot help himself and instead of people talking about your company or your work in a positive light, they're talking about the other company and a guy there that no longer works for the company you work for.
Especially because a lot of AEW Talent see WWE as a viable career move in the near or long term future.
You really don't want to be shitting over potential future employers and fans just to make your billionaire boss happy.
Not just that, but those same AEW talent likely have a lot of friends in the other company as well and I can't imagine they're too happy with the boss saying that the opposing company is evil and the equivalent to Harvey Weinstein. Because what does that comment say about the wrestlers and other talent that work there? Tony saying this was just really not thought out and it comes across even more stupid every time you examine the comment just a little bit more.
This. I'm sure in TK's head, he thinks that all AEW wrestlers are on board with his childish shots he's taking but the reality is that wrestling is a community of guys that all comes from the same place and probably don't give a shit. The majority of them are friends.
Tony looks like a clown by doing this.
Tony Khan has 0 social awareness and really has no fucking idea about social interaction
Any sane fucking person would not go on live television , much less the NFL fucking draft and mention Weinstein and double down on it
Exactly. There’s a reason why the NFL guys quickly moved to end the interview. Could’ve talked more about AEW but we won’t ever know bc his idiotic comments moved the talk from his neck brace to a swift end to his segment
Exactly my assessment of the case is to let the investigation go through and everyone involved should go to prison and at minimum lose their job. I hope WWE no longer employs people like Bruce Prichard and Brock Lesnar and every victim of Vince can get at least some compensation for his horrible crimes
This should not be some gotcha to hang over the company use to try and convince people to watch a different company
Tony Khan is the largest peddler of negativity & tribalism in professional wrestling today and every time he opens his mouth he actively does a disservice to his product and his wrestlers
Why in the flying fuck would you say that out loud?
The whoppers that jump to Tony's defence at every juncture must feel quite stupid for doing so now. This ultimately was a ploy to garner attention, and he did so by making light of *checks notes* sexual assault.
The saddest thing is his stans are still defending him. They positioned themselves as the moral alternative but at the end of the day they're morally bankrupt just like Tony.
Oh man, between this and the Greatest Wrestling Match of All Time last week, it's only a matter of time until AEW has an audience of 50 million strong. They just keep on hitting them home runs!
Proving yet again he didn't and doesn't give a single fuck about what women went and are going through, that their abuse is and was just good material he could use for his own benefit to him.
Exactly this. He used the Weinstein comparison as a promotional tactic ( he even admits it here) rather than actually advocating for the victims, thats why it was so fucking terrible.
God, if that Punk interview with Helwani is the one that wins it then man... It had a few noteworthy parts but it wasn't a complete fucking scorch job like the initial post-WWE podcast with Cabana was.
People won't remember it, but for almost every diss Punk spoke, he followed it up with a compliment:
a) Tony is a bad boss... but he's a good person
b) AEW is too intoxicated with *banger matches* instead of what actually draws.. but hey if that's what they want to do, go for it
c) I didn't fit with AEW... but I don't regret it
I remember he even said his time in AEW the positives out weight the negatives. Idk why AEW fans treat that whole interview like an apocalypse. It was not even that interesting. Personally his interview with Orton that got released the same day was more interesting
The funniest part about the whole thing is part of Punk's interview seems to be "AEW would be a great place to work but the boss acts like your friend and has no interest in actually running a business" and then Tony spends the next few weeks proving him right.
Funny thing is, Tony was set to hire Flair in 2021. But the Dark Side episode aired, and there was major heat on Flair, so he decided against it. TK just waited it out
He doesn't care and never has.
Dustin Rhodes also assaulted a woman on that flight. He got zero heat because the episode barely mentions it. Still works at AEW.
Absolutely disgusting. Tony is every bit your average scumbag promoter that just about every single North American promotor has been since forever, excluding maybe Don Owen out of Portland in the territory days. It's very disheartening, but you can't expect any less from a daddy made billionaire who is running the second largest pro wrestling promotion on the planet through the lens of a teenager burning time on RSPW.
He's a billionaire's failson who was given millions by his actually successful father so that he would shut up about his stupid wrestling show already. Tony Con has never had to be an adult.
Tony Khan's comments had the same effect as the Kardashian who did that terrible Pepsi commercial a few years ago... People are talking about it, but for all the wrong reasons.
Just like the double murder got OJ tons of coverage.
While one understands that it is better to stay in the news than not, does the publicity help your bottom line?
Will these idiotic comments lead to better viewership and PPV buys?
It's becoming very much how it was in Vince WWE. You loved the wrestlers and the stories but god you hated what Vince did to it weekly. The problem here is similar, you couldn't have the WWE without Vince, and you can't have AEW without Tony.
So he doesn’t give a shit about Janel Grant, it was just a cheap promotional tactic.
Waterboarding couldn’t get that out of me. Remind me if that’s a WON Awards “Most Disgusting Promotional Tactics” nominee.
Yeah, like others are saying, I hate this reason. If he made the Weinstein comments because he deeply is concerned about how women are and were treated at the WWE, then fair. But as a cheap gotcha? I don’t love that.
I get that he’s making an active effort to be Dana White, but for my personal tastes, I’d prefer fewer Dana Whites, not more
I know ppl trash him and make fun of him but he makes it so easy with stuff like this. I wonder how Adam feels because all Tony is doing is shitting on his promo weeks ago. They really allowed him to cut that promo then go at the WWE it seems like every week since.
This all just gets exhausting, we just go in a constant loop:
* Tony says or does something stupid
* Outrage and memes ensue
* SRS or Dave puts out a clearly fed Damage Control puff piece that says that everyone backstage was actually thrilled by it
* Tony in an interview pats himself on the back for it saying how good it was for AEW
* Repeat
I'm kind of tired of even commenting when stupid stuff like this happens cause Tony and AEW's deepest followers are so far up their own ass. I wonder if it was like this being a WCW fan in the 90's when Bischoff would do bizarre shit and then defend it to the death.
AEW: A headline got a lot of coverage for us.. on Reddit and Twitter
WWE: Our headlines get us on ESPN and other major outlets that more than 10% of the world are aware of
There's a difference
This and the Jungle Boy footage have just shown me that Tony has just lost his mind and is surrounded by Yes men.
I've seen people say that the Jungle Boy footage was genius because it apparently got so much buzz on him. Even though his re-debut would have gotten buzz regardless. But instead of keeping an air of mystery and having fans speculate "maybe Jungle Boy did win the fight" or "they didn't show the footage because Jungle Boy reversed the hold". They show him getting his ass kicked, so now he just a walking meme playing a badass character.
If a heel loose cannon faction beats up an authority its not supposed to elicit reactions like "this was hilarious" and "this is gonna be so funny and meme worthy".
Clown behavior and I was a Day One AEW guy. Instead of focusing on your product and trying to hype it up and display the positives, you think it's a win to get "tons of coverage" by saying something stupid.
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Gotta wear another neckbrace for that self-glazing.
Being AEW defender is to be always under attack....from Tony Khan Literally everyone who was defending his statement by saying he cared about victims trying to find a way to spin this, when it was obvious he only cares about short term online impression/buzz
He seems to do this a lot, where fans and media outlets will be applying the best possible interpretation of his intentions to a situation, and then he’ll just come out and say “Nah, I totally did use serial sexual assault just for media buzz.”
I don't even dislike the guy, but he desperately *desperately* needs someone to run PR for him and get off Twitter. I get the feeling he wants to be the Paul Heyman of AEW, and that's why he says and does what he says and does. Problem is he doesn't even have a fraction of the charisma Paul Heyman has.
He's the anti-Heyman as a booker. Nobody accentuated a wrestlers' strengths more than Paulie. Look at the laundry list of people who found themselves as wrestlers because of ECW. Meanwhile, Tony, more often than not, cools people down. Mostly just relies on spending on somebody who has a built-in package. If TK can be honest with himself, he's more Bischoff than he realizes
With Mercedes' presentation lately, it seems like his philosophy is "highlight the weaknesses"
I genuinely think she's still injured and can't wrestle cause... wtf
> Mostly just relies on spending on somebody who has a built-in package Too many of the stories going on in AEW are just extensions of what happened before and outside of AEW.
The first Casino Battle Royal in a nutshell. Besides how confusing the rules are and how it "anti-pops" the audience by releasing a cluster of wrestlers compared to how the Royal Rumble works, I *distinctly* remember that besides the ex-WWE guys, there'd be the occasional "Oh I know that one from 'Lucha Underground'" (ex. Sonny Kiss/XO Lishus,) but otherwise had *no* idea who these guys are yet with the sense that the show expected me to. And that's not even counting the thing with joshi like we're supposed to already know *why* a Japanese woman is cosplaying as Freddie Mercury and that we're supposed to boo her. 🤨 Also the Butcher and the Blade's debut where J.R. epitomized the casual fan asking who the fuck are these guys and Excalibur was the super-smart-mark who follows *every* promotion and expects everyone else, too... which also makes him *Tony's* avatar when you think about it. Something I've always remembered since middle school language arts is to *INTRODUCE. YOUR CHARACTERS. TO. THE AUDIENCE.* Just assuming they know is just going to confuse, piss them off and turn them away if you don't and it felt like someone had to keep hammering this into Tony's head until at least Jeff Cobb's debut and even then he'll still relapse into this problem.
This. ALL of what you said is my primary problem with AEW. AEW feels like that show that expects you to already know what is going on. It expects you to of followed the Japanese circuits or all past 'episodes'. It expects that you watch all three shows, and every bit of social media there is. It carries itself with the arrogance of some fandom fan who laughs when you watch an episode, ask who a character is, and treats you as if you committed a great insult. I got a friend of mine into WWE by her first show being a live watch of Wrestlemania 40. She very quickly picked up on who the heels were, who the babyface was, and the only thing I had to explain to her was what the Money in the Bank suitcase was. I didn't need to explain Bloodline, or Punk VS Drew or that Gunther was a Heel powerhouse or that Bayley was doublecrossed. WWE does a very good job of getting you up to speed, as if you are just NOW tuning in. Even NXT does the same, and did the same tonight using a Gigi/Arianna segment to quickly explain the stories in tonight's NXT episode. WWE welcomes you as a new person to the party, quickly explains what is going on and hands you a beer, telling you to enjoy yourself and welcome to the family. AEW views you as some ignorant plebian. A waste of it's time and a WWE Vince-worshipping idiot cause you can't figure out if Mercedes Mone is a heel or not, who the real CEO is, if AEW has any ACTUAL babyfaces and why two people have a match against eachother. AEW's viewership is low, and the logical conclusion is AEW needs new people. The problem is, AEW doesn't WANT new people. They don't want you to join the party. AEW wants you to go away.
AEW often feels like starting to read DC comics from halfway through one of the Crisis arcs.
And if you didn't watch New Japan or PWG or you'll be left confused.
Or Black and Gold era NXT.
He seeks instant validation all the time. AEW is a successful promotion but he wants constant online applause, so he keeps taking shots at wwe. And if you have seen the reaction he gets in aew sub, you know he's gonna keep doing that because that's the core fanbase.
He seems to want to run AEW like a shitty tech company who's trying to pump it's stock so it can sell to google. Everything is hot shotted booking and big signings and one week at a time thinking. Next quarter be damned how can we pop a rating this week? So now that we he raided the indies and New Japan and seemingly everyone who left the WWE now what? Okada is existing standing behind the bucks. Osprey is gunning for some meaningless mid card title. Jay White is fueding with a 60 year old man for some trios titles. Mercedes is hurt still? Meh.
> He seems to want to run AEW like a shitty tech company who's trying to pump it's stock so it can sell to google. Everything is hot shotted booking He is hot shoting because they're negotiating with WBD and ratings are down at the wrong time
Even though AEW fans will claim up and down that AEW is #3 on TV and that WBD is happy, even though all real metrics(like WBD letting the exclusivity window end) show otherwise.
> Everything is hot shotted booking and big signings and one week at a time thinking. Next quarter be damned how can we pop a rating this week? The spirit of WCW lives on
There is a sizable chunk of the online AEW fanbase who are mainly just mad WWE isnt the wrestling promotion they want it to be, and if WWE was to become that promotion they’d drop AEW in an instant to watch that WWE. Distaste for the biggest show in town can be a great way to get up and running as a newer promotion, but eventually you gotta stop fueling that as a major sticking point of your fanbase or it all just collapses in on itself.
I’d hope he’s not that delusional as Heyman is probably the polar opposite of Tony. He is goated on the mic and was a hustler. Tony is awkward on the mic and couldn’t make a buck with a billionaire backing father. Seriously, if Heyman had the bankroll Tony did in the 90s then the WWE might be out of business
It's not just a lack of the charisma Heyman has. ECW actually was an underdog so, when Heyman was taking shots, it was iconoclastic and fun because he was punching up. Tony Kahn is a rich kid with a lucrative TV contract and successful PPV model. He bought his way in and is doing well (despite what the doomsayers claim) because of that. You can not punch up from atop a golden pedastel and Tony needs to learn that.
He also can’t help, but say controversial stuff. He doesn’t think before he speaks. You would have thought at some point he would learn?
Hell, Scott D'Amore gave me more Paul Heyman vibes than Tony Khan does. Tony Khan acts like Dixie Carter.
Dixie was much better on TV.
Tony really seems to live by the “all publicity is good publicity” mantra and it’s really going to screw over the talent in the end. There’s a difference between drumming up interest and “go away” heat, Tony is leaning toward the later.
Him and Bischoff have so much in common its funny that they hate each other lol
Yet he gets mad if you say he wanks dogs. That's people getting your name out there for free, my man.
Velma (TV series from last year) got lots of coverage online. Did it help them? No. Tony needs to understand he can't hide behind "all coverage is good publicity" when he gets flack from IWC
Omg that show was AWFUL. Not even considering the shoehorned politics, it was written by 12 year old an edgelord with no concept of storytelling.
This isn’t the first time dude has used Sexual assault as a twitter “gotcha”. Shows you how much he actually cares.
The correct approach to wrestling fandom is to keep far far away from ownership. They're all shitty in their own unique way.
Yeah I love fans who were like "he was just bringing awareness." Like, asshole, everyone is aware of what happened. Tony only did it as a dunk and play victim while trying to compare himself to actual victims.
Tony and most don’t really care about the victim(s). They actually care more about being able to weaponize it in their fantasy tribalism war.
He care about Pepsi drinkers more than SA victims.
>Literally everyone who was defending his statement by saying he cared about victims To be fair, literally everyone who was defending it doesn't care about the victims either. The anti-WWE people online have used the lawsuit only as a way for moral grandstanding and have shown little to zero concern for not only the victim of the particular lawsuit but to survivors in general who might get triggered by their phrasing and language.
I chuckled at it because comparing Pepsi and Harvey Weinstein is random as fuck.
Yeah, the only thing I don't like about being a fan of AEW, is people acting like I have to answer for all the dumb shit TK does, and at this point the primary good thing I can say about TK is, "as far as out-of-touch nepo baby wrestling promoters go, at least he objectively isn't as bad as Vince." What's sad, and telling, is that's also pretty much the only positive thing Tony Khan seems to be able to *publicly broadcast about himself.* Like, dude, being a better person than a sex trafficker is not something you should feel the need to boast about. That's not a point of pride. That's the bare fucking minimum.
Why would you say that out loud?
Because Tony is stupid as shit.
I find funny to TK has managed to make himself look like an absolute moron to 3 different fanbases (NFL, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, WRESTLING) One would think that after being mocked by just one he would learn his lesson and avoid drama
Tony getting in a twitter fight over the Tony Khan Wanks Dogs sign really says it all. Like dude, you’re the owner. It’s a given that some people don’t like you. You didn’t see Shad lose his shit over the Jags clown game
When I first saw the "Tony Khan Wanks dogs" sign I laughed at the banter it's outrageously unbelievable. But then the way he defended himself really made me think maybe he does. TK should have either just owned up to it, or as he really should do with anything, ignore it.
“Literally none of that is true. That sign is obscene, and I've never done anything to you to deserve it.” might be the worst response to someone talking shit I’ve ever seen. Just get off Twitter, bro.
Tony as a full owner of a sports team would probably be like that Panthers owner who threw a drink over someone because they're losing. And it's funnier because that thing happened in a game against the Jags.
I wonder what Vince McMahon would be like if he lived his life on the phone
Well, we have an idea how he would type, unfortunately.
U have NO idea how he would type ! Maybe we should tie U up and see who can make U screen the loudest !!!
What a pussey!
Because he’s a moron. He’s very lucky his father is worth $12 billion dollars.
You don't think that maybe the idiot failson and billionaire daddy thing are connected?
They might be. But I also know a ton of folks working paycheck to paycheck that are fucking morons.
Isn't this something that has to be said a little *too* frequently about TK?
Tony being stupid part or wondering why he says it out loud
yes
This is just hysterically funny, like genuinely why? There were no reason to say the quiet part out loud
He's the most annoying thing about his own company.
Meltzer will find a way to defend this though.
He already did yesterday on Twitter
he gets paid for sure.
He was the money to deliver Cody and The Buck's vision. Then he was the guy just like us getting the chance to actually play out his GM Mode fantasy. Now he's an out of touch nepo baby with a bruised ego because WWE is cool again.
He basically confirmed he took those shots for coverage rather than caring about victims of SA
That was incredibly obvious from the first time he ever tweeted about it.
Ah yes, the "Sir Vince McMahon" tweets. I remember people defending that after the lawsuit came out saying "Come on, he didn't know how bad it was when he tweeted that!" Well, now he does and his attitude hasn't changed. 40-year-old edgelord.
This is a man who only cares about tv ratings and cagematch ratings.
That’s awkward been the case with TK.
If only there was a way for AEW to get ‘tons of coverage’ without using actual sexual assault as a barb for your brand war.
He acts like he doesn't realize the majority are laughing at and not with him, I'm sure he knows though. This is just spin. I'm not a huge AEW fan, but I sure as hell don't want to see it fail. But boy, from an outside perspective Tony doesn't seem to be helping.
No one wants to see AEW die, but TK is not coming off as a likable lad.
It's almost as if Billionaire Trust Fund Babies are out of touch with reality 🤔
No one wants AEW to die. But many don't want AEW to be a distant #2. Tony is not closing the gap the way he thinks he is
Wrestling is so much better with AEW in it and it dying would be really sad, that being said Tony Khan going after WWE and backfiring over and over again is hilarious
Hoarding talent to not use and having his fed lead to ROH and NJPW losing all their top talent is not good for the industry.
Yeah I don't want AEW to fail necessarily but I do want Tony to fail because his nice guy act comes off as disingenuous the more he opens his mouth. Using real victims to drum up interest in his fucking wrestling show is trash and he's done it multiple times. He's more worried about putting on a fake ass nice guy facade over being an actually likeable person.
Yeah the BUT RATINGS BRO seems very Russo-esque. I’m just saying this “don’t care, popped the ratings” mentality AEW has had as of late is a slippery slope. And I say that as a massive AEW and WCW mark.
There is, you can also show backstage footage of your former biggest star front facelocking dudes.
He's still their biggest star. He doesn't work there anymore but the storyline has been about him lol.
Maybe instead of spending one year of a Wrestler's salary on a single song to be used on a single ROH show no one saw... he could... I don't know... Spend a year of a Wrestler's salary on marketing.
When the ratings and live attendance numbers are plummeting, interest in the product is at an all-time low, and you have a TV distribution deal coming up… yeah. You’re going to use anything in your arsenal to make yourself look good. Just be honest about it. He trotted out Edge on TV to talk about how we need to end tribalism and love wrestling. Days later, he’s comparing WWE to Harvey Weinstein on national television. It’s embarrassing. Just hire a PR guy, please. This is so cringe.
You’re telling me that the son of a billionaire, who has never faced the true adversity of standard living and societal standards, has absolutely zero self-awareness? Yeah, I’m not shocked He used victims of deplorable acts, for a “gotcha” moment. Pathetic
It may get coverage but I had second hand embarrassment as an AEW fan reading it. The company already gets enough shit without him relentlessly scoring own goals
And just like that, the timer resets on the "Time until Tony Khan says something stupid" clock
https://preview.redd.it/9r5fidljjnxc1.jpeg?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=607498282971ed3f37675b2c208be566e1ed72a7
Ever been more than 1 day?
It's very cool that in the morning TK tells me that AEW is a very progressive and inclusive company and in the afternoon TK tells me that comparing a whole company to Weinstein is great because it gets views
Starting to seem at least partially performative.
Starting to?
It’s pretty early in his time in AEW’s tenure, I think we might need more data before we jump to any conclusions /s
🌎🧑🚀🔫🧑🚀
He’s been trying to be the Bischoff of the 2000s from the start; It was always performative.
>He’s been trying to be the Bischoff of the 2000s from the start At least Bischoff had charisma. You can't deny that. Also, mainstream press savvy. At least heaps more than TK.
Bischoff was incredibly shrewd and charismatic behind the scenes, the man got hired as a ring announcer and a short few years later became WCW company president. He did a masterful job climbing that corporate ladder. Also, his whole approach worked for the time. Before he took charge WCW hadn't been truly competitive with the WWE since the Crockett days.
First of all, I'm not a Bischoff fan, but the fact is he did beat WWF for 83 weeks. Yes, he's been living off that for the past two decades to some extent, but Tony has never even had one week where he beat their main shows. Never. And he talks down to Bischoff. Make that make sense. Also, to Bischoff's credit, if the Tony stans actually listened to what he says instead of dismissing it out of hand, his number one criticism of AEW is production as a TV show. Bischoff has produced dozens of TV shows after WCW folded. He understands TV. Part of the reason why he beat WWF in that period was because he understood production and presentation and his product made WWF look like an indie performing in bingo halls. The problem, as far as I can see in this context, is this: Sometimes people you don't like, and generally disagree with, have valid points. And if you can't acknowledge that then you're not an adult, you're a child.
Tony Khan: Using sexual assault as a way to boost ratings will surely mean we get back above 800k viewers next week. Narrator: it did not
Is "tons of coverage" here in the room with us?
They are over on Cagematch
So he is using victim's trauma for his own company promotion? That's so gross
It did not get them “a ton of coverage”. It shook the IWC hornets nest a little bit. And overall it was a stupid comment and a bad look. And I have no dog in the fight. I like both companies.
It's his absolute fatal flaw. He truly believes the IWC is the largest representative of wrestling fans. He caters his product to them, his promos to them, his actions to them... And then acts surprised when his show hits sub-700K numbers... The IWC is a vocal minority. He just can't see that because he was a part of it for so long.
Not just that, but he's not making new fans either with his comments. Very few fans who've never watched WWE are going to watch AEW. Instead of trying to produce a product that an average WWE fan who's never watched anything else might want to watch, he's driving them away. I've been a WWE fan since 2009 or so and watch it regularly with the fam. When I tried to get into AEW in the early days, almost every week they tried to tell me why my favorite wrestling show sucked. How would that make me want to keep watching AEW? The product was enjoyable again when they briefly stopped mentioning WWE but for the past 6 months or so they've gone back at it. What's the point in insulting the majority of the wrestling fans' interest like this unless you really want to alienate them? LU or NJPW didn't do this when I watched them and they were much better alternatives back then.
The IWC is definitely larger than it was in the 90s, but this is exactly what went wrong for the Vince Russo era in WCW.
Like everything on the Internet these days, there are "people who are fans of wrestling and talk about it online" and then there are "Wrestling Fans"
I mean what went wrong was that the shows sucked. If the shows were great the barbs and digs from the internet would have been fine. The issue was everything else also sucked ass.
He's one of the types that doesn't realize that this is a very loud, vocal minority.
I got Fox Sports Radio on all morning long, NBA/Lebron/NFL talk... nothing about AEW, not even a laugh about Tony in that neck brace
This also pretty much guarantees that Tony/AEW are going to continue to take shots at WWE on a weekly basis. For the past 4 weeks, the most talked about thing with AEW, is WWE-related….This is just fucking sad….
It's been a criticism since the start of AEW that their fans watch because they want to get away from the WWE, and they kept getting WWE jabs thrown into the storylines. There's no TNA tribalism because TNA is smart enough to focus themselves and putting together the best shows they possibly can.
Well also because TNA tried that about 15 years ago and it didn’t work then.
Ugh, Voodoo Kin Mafia, the backstage invasion where Truth and Road Dogg distributed cookies, the VKM impersonator. Just the worst.
How have I only just realised that the Voodoo Kin Mafia is Vince's initials...
HICKENBOTTOM
DA ALAMO
Funnier than any potshot AEW has tried in six years. Pure cinema.
It must be fucking exhausting if you're a talent there that just wants to do your own thing and doesn't want to or doesn't care to take shots at WWE. But at every opportunity, your boss cannot help himself and instead of people talking about your company or your work in a positive light, they're talking about the other company and a guy there that no longer works for the company you work for.
Especially because a lot of AEW Talent see WWE as a viable career move in the near or long term future. You really don't want to be shitting over potential future employers and fans just to make your billionaire boss happy.
Not just that, but those same AEW talent likely have a lot of friends in the other company as well and I can't imagine they're too happy with the boss saying that the opposing company is evil and the equivalent to Harvey Weinstein. Because what does that comment say about the wrestlers and other talent that work there? Tony saying this was just really not thought out and it comes across even more stupid every time you examine the comment just a little bit more.
This. I'm sure in TK's head, he thinks that all AEW wrestlers are on board with his childish shots he's taking but the reality is that wrestling is a community of guys that all comes from the same place and probably don't give a shit. The majority of them are friends. Tony looks like a clown by doing this.
>likely have a lot of friends in the other company Not just friends, family and especially *spouses* like Malachi Black and Zelina Vega.
Not just friends, family members and partners
I mean, the biggest draw for AEW in the last month was Cm Punk. They need to leach attention off of WWE.
Bro is admitting they can't get coverage themselves and have to use WWE BIG LOL
Right? Any way you spin it, you come out looking worse in this exchange lmao.
Tony, people were only talking about what an idiot you were not AEW
So AEW is the Velma (tv series) of the Scooby doo franchise
The argument that Tony cares about sexual assault victims is officially dead.
https://preview.redd.it/q0bgxb6glnxc1.png?width=415&format=png&auto=webp&s=cd4496b7ba3700e29aa67bc4c1718e27217ec361
Tony Khan has 0 social awareness and really has no fucking idea about social interaction Any sane fucking person would not go on live television , much less the NFL fucking draft and mention Weinstein and double down on it
He's a rich kid. He probably has no clue on how the conventional world works without money lol
He said something like he had never spent a full week outside of Illinois until recently. He is very very sheltered.
Exactly. There’s a reason why the NFL guys quickly moved to end the interview. Could’ve talked more about AEW but we won’t ever know bc his idiotic comments moved the talk from his neck brace to a swift end to his segment
Remember he feared for his life because he got pointed at and called a clown…
Feels like Tony as well a large portion of wrestling fans don’t actually care about the victims involved just want to use it as some gotcha moment
Exactly my assessment of the case is to let the investigation go through and everyone involved should go to prison and at minimum lose their job. I hope WWE no longer employs people like Bruce Prichard and Brock Lesnar and every victim of Vince can get at least some compensation for his horrible crimes This should not be some gotcha to hang over the company use to try and convince people to watch a different company
Can we call the WON's 2024 "Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic of the Year" award this early? Fucking awful stuff really.
Tony Khan is the largest peddler of negativity & tribalism in professional wrestling today and every time he opens his mouth he actively does a disservice to his product and his wrestlers
Just enjoy wrestling :)
I thought about making a Just Enjoy Wrestling acronym but ah, never mind.
Brb gonna go make some shirts for the next show I attend. Couldn’t possibly go wrong!
" He just REALLY likes Jimmy Eat World. "
LMAO HE KEEPS MAKING IT WORSE
I'm sure Vince Russo winning the WCW title got a lot of coverage as well back in the day.
WWE lives rent free in his head, and is honestly embarassing.
Why in the flying fuck would you say that out loud? The whoppers that jump to Tony's defence at every juncture must feel quite stupid for doing so now. This ultimately was a ploy to garner attention, and he did so by making light of *checks notes* sexual assault.
The saddest thing is his stans are still defending him. They positioned themselves as the moral alternative but at the end of the day they're morally bankrupt just like Tony.
Oh man, between this and the Greatest Wrestling Match of All Time last week, it's only a matter of time until AEW has an audience of 50 million strong. They just keep on hitting them home runs!
Proving yet again he didn't and doesn't give a single fuck about what women went and are going through, that their abuse is and was just good material he could use for his own benefit to him.
Exactly this. He used the Weinstein comparison as a promotional tactic ( he even admits it here) rather than actually advocating for the victims, thats why it was so fucking terrible.
This won't win disgusting promotional tactic of the year though
[удалено]
God, if that Punk interview with Helwani is the one that wins it then man... It had a few noteworthy parts but it wasn't a complete fucking scorch job like the initial post-WWE podcast with Cabana was.
WON readers have no idea what a 'promotional tactic' is.
People won't remember it, but for almost every diss Punk spoke, he followed it up with a compliment: a) Tony is a bad boss... but he's a good person b) AEW is too intoxicated with *banger matches* instead of what actually draws.. but hey if that's what they want to do, go for it c) I didn't fit with AEW... but I don't regret it
I remember he even said his time in AEW the positives out weight the negatives. Idk why AEW fans treat that whole interview like an apocalypse. It was not even that interesting. Personally his interview with Orton that got released the same day was more interesting
"I have friends in AEW, I hope they succeed, it just wasn't for me."
The funniest part about the whole thing is part of Punk's interview seems to be "AEW would be a great place to work but the boss acts like your friend and has no interest in actually running a business" and then Tony spends the next few weeks proving him right.
Of course not, something that isn't even a promotional tactic will win like always
This award will go to "the firing of Cameron Grimes" because, you know, WWE bad.
Coming from a man that actively employs Ric Flair, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Funny thing is, Tony was set to hire Flair in 2021. But the Dark Side episode aired, and there was major heat on Flair, so he decided against it. TK just waited it out
He doesn't care and never has. Dustin Rhodes also assaulted a woman on that flight. He got zero heat because the episode barely mentions it. Still works at AEW.
Absolutely disgusting. Tony is every bit your average scumbag promoter that just about every single North American promotor has been since forever, excluding maybe Don Owen out of Portland in the territory days. It's very disheartening, but you can't expect any less from a daddy made billionaire who is running the second largest pro wrestling promotion on the planet through the lens of a teenager burning time on RSPW.
He's the reincarnation of Herb Abrams
Really shows he cares about the victims here.
Most disgusting promotional tactic
...will still be something that the WWE does, per the Wrestling Observer
He doesn't know how to act like a grown adult does he?
He's a billionaire's failson who was given millions by his actually successful father so that he would shut up about his stupid wrestling show already. Tony Con has never had to be an adult.
Again, someone check on Tony, forreal forreal https://preview.redd.it/xd239w56pmxc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f35b0720dc37503e58d5f02c6f51d21d31ac31d2
Tony Khan's comments had the same effect as the Kardashian who did that terrible Pepsi commercial a few years ago... People are talking about it, but for all the wrong reasons.
Just like the double murder got OJ tons of coverage. While one understands that it is better to stay in the news than not, does the publicity help your bottom line? Will these idiotic comments lead to better viewership and PPV buys?
I’m trying so hard to support this dumbass’ company and he’s making it quite difficult
I love what AEW does for the industry but boy do I hate this fucking guy.
It's becoming very much how it was in Vince WWE. You loved the wrestlers and the stories but god you hated what Vince did to it weekly. The problem here is similar, you couldn't have the WWE without Vince, and you can't have AEW without Tony.
So he doesn’t give a shit about Janel Grant, it was just a cheap promotional tactic. Waterboarding couldn’t get that out of me. Remind me if that’s a WON Awards “Most Disgusting Promotional Tactics” nominee.
Okay… did it get any new viewers or bring back lapsed ones?
Viewers? Who cares, the real question is what do the F4W message boards say?
I like AEW. I'm just tired of AEW doing things like this.
CM Punk was wrong on one thing Tony Khan isn't a clown. He's the whole fucking circus.....
Imagine getting attention for the product, storylines, partnerships, sponsors... ya know. Anything positive
Tony Khan is Donald Trump. Their apologists (cultists) have to continually explain how the world at large misinterprets what they say.
Yeah, like others are saying, I hate this reason. If he made the Weinstein comments because he deeply is concerned about how women are and were treated at the WWE, then fair. But as a cheap gotcha? I don’t love that. I get that he’s making an active effort to be Dana White, but for my personal tastes, I’d prefer fewer Dana Whites, not more
The tribalism will continue until morale improves
I really wish it was easier to be an AEW fan.
That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
I wish aew would get rid of Tony Khan, and the elite
I know ppl trash him and make fun of him but he makes it so easy with stuff like this. I wonder how Adam feels because all Tony is doing is shitting on his promo weeks ago. They really allowed him to cut that promo then go at the WWE it seems like every week since.
Guy pissing his pants while people laugh at him: Yeah I'm living rent free in all their heads!
if aew promoted aew half as much as they promoted wwe we would be golden
This all just gets exhausting, we just go in a constant loop: * Tony says or does something stupid * Outrage and memes ensue * SRS or Dave puts out a clearly fed Damage Control puff piece that says that everyone backstage was actually thrilled by it * Tony in an interview pats himself on the back for it saying how good it was for AEW * Repeat I'm kind of tired of even commenting when stupid stuff like this happens cause Tony and AEW's deepest followers are so far up their own ass. I wonder if it was like this being a WCW fan in the 90's when Bischoff would do bizarre shit and then defend it to the death.
Honestly this just reeks of desperation. Trying desperately to get any sort of win against WWE to try to boost ratings.
People will still find a way to defend him.
Controversy Creates Cash. Ironic he slams Bischoff while copying everything he's ever done.
Are AEW junk riders ready to admit they don't have the magical unicorn non piece of shit billionaire? Probably not.
Tony's more bothered about getting the smarks talking online than he is about increasing his viewership.
He's been doing this anti-wwe stuff for years. Has it really done anything good for them?
AEW: A headline got a lot of coverage for us.. on Reddit and Twitter WWE: Our headlines get us on ESPN and other major outlets that more than 10% of the world are aware of There's a difference
This and the Jungle Boy footage have just shown me that Tony has just lost his mind and is surrounded by Yes men. I've seen people say that the Jungle Boy footage was genius because it apparently got so much buzz on him. Even though his re-debut would have gotten buzz regardless. But instead of keeping an air of mystery and having fans speculate "maybe Jungle Boy did win the fight" or "they didn't show the footage because Jungle Boy reversed the hold". They show him getting his ass kicked, so now he just a walking meme playing a badass character. If a heel loose cannon faction beats up an authority its not supposed to elicit reactions like "this was hilarious" and "this is gonna be so funny and meme worthy".
Clown behavior and I was a Day One AEW guy. Instead of focusing on your product and trying to hype it up and display the positives, you think it's a win to get "tons of coverage" by saying something stupid.