12 Things You Didn't Know Tony Khan BANNED In AEW
1. Spitting
Back to the 2023 Fightful report to conclude here, and, yes, the remaining rules all appear to have been broken in the three years since.
Spitting was banned for a while, apparently, which makes sense and doesn't. Some people are viscerally averse to it. It's a disease risk. But it's also a pain-free way of conveying pure animosity and disrespect. It's a vile thing to do to somebody. It's absolutely perfect for wrestlers. It's also perfect for gooners, who lapped up - or rather, wish they could have lapped up - Thekla's saliva when she spat at the camera in a February 2026 backstage promo. This rule was actually broken in record time; the Fightful report was released on July 13, and Jay White spat on FTR 10 days later on Collision.
Buckle bombs were also banned, at least for a time. You can see why, if you watched the April 10, 2025 edition of Dynamite: PAC badly damaged his ankle when taking the move. This banned item also extended to other "blind moves backwards into the turnbuckle", a directive that was almost certainly contravened the very next week. Come on. It's AEW.
"Shots to the back of the head" were also banned, but that seems to be an unwritten rule amongst the "boys" generally. You hit the flush of the cheek when you go for the face, and aim for the top of the back when striking those clubbing blows. You'd surely only have to write this down for the benefit of Shane McMahon, and he's never worked for AEW.