Tony Khan's Justification For Anti-WWE Shots Revealed
AEW's Tony Khan on the response to calling WWE "the Harvey Weinstein of wrestling."
AEW boss Tony Khan's controversial remarks regarding WWE on the NFL Network last week drew "tons of coverage" to the promotion, claims Khan himself.
Interviewed by TMZ Sports, the AEW founder was asked about referring to WWE as a "really evil juggernaut" and comparing the market-leading organisation to Harvey Weinstein while appearing on NFL Draft coverage last Friday. Khan referenced the interest this had drawn and affirmed that he believes AEW is putting on better wrestling shows than its competition.
Said Khan (h/t Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online):
"Well, I think that we got tons of coverage for AEW. And I think it is important to say I think AEW is the best wrestling company in the world in many ways. I think that we have the best wrestlers, the best matches, we’ve been putting on the best shows. I think the best pay-per-view events this year have been the two AEW events [Revolution and Dynasty]."
Weinstein, formerly a notable figure in the film industry, has encountered multiple accusations of sexual assault. In 2020, he was convicted of r*pe and SA, receiving a 23-year prison sentence. The New York Court of Appeals recently overturned this conviction, though Weinstein had previously been sentenced to 16 years for a separate conviction in 2023.
On January 25th, Janel Grant, a former employee of WWE, filed a lawsuit against WWE, its former proprietor Vince McMahon, and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurainaitis. The lawsuit alleges that McMahon sexually assaulted and trafficked Grant.
Khan's NFL Network appearance came following an angle on last week's episode of Dynamite. Assaulted by The Young Bucks and Jack Perry after shaking the latter's hand, Khan, in his first major physical spot in AEW, was dealt a Tony Khan Driver, leading to a worked neck injury necessitating a neck brave during NFL coverage.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that one of the reasons for this angle was so Khan could wear the neck brace on NFL Network as a publicity stunt.