12 Things You Didn't Know Tony Khan BANNED In AEW

5. Taking Certain Independent Bookings

AEW benefitted from WWE's disastrous late 2010s reputation. 

AEW was often awesome in and of itself, but yes: it helped AEW that WWE was so bad. AEW was only able to exist in the first place because WWE was so bad; if WWE had embraced different styles and ideas using rave-reviewed talent, there would have been no need for an alternative. NXT was the closest WWE got, but after 2015's feel-good brilliance, it was ultimately a faster, more coherent, and less cheesy brand of synthetic sports entertainment. WWE made it so easy for them in 2019. Not only was the product infamously terrible in a way that was unforgettable on a weekly basis - it was evil. 

Comical images of handcuffed wrestlers in a jail cell begging to leave their well-paid jobs were brought to mind throughout the year. Many WWE acts wanted to jump ship to AEW. They wanted to cut their own promos. They wanted to show that they could go in less restrictive matches. They wanted to spend more time at home under the less intensive schedule. AEW was a wonderland!

AEW was able to get away with what is a bullsh*t independent contractor classification - regardless of the company's initials - because it was significantly nicer than WWE on the sh*theel scale. While the extent to which AEW controls its talent's outside dates is not known, it has been reported several times over the years that they can't do or are encouraged not to work WrestleMania Weekend. 

That's not good; the sheer concentration of shows allows a pro wrestler to make a lot of money and sell a lot of merch with minimal travel costs involved.