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

8. The Briscoes

FTR Briscoes
AEW

The Briscoes were one of the greatest acts in the modern history of the form. 

Sometimes, this sort of appraisal is heavily (and generously) skewed by longevity, which the Briscoes obviously had, but they reached transcendent peaks routinely. Involved in some of the most gnarly, dramatic, and emotional matches in Ring Of Honor history, Jay and Mark were simply very awesome for a very long time. They had no right, either. The amount of punishment that the Briscoes endured in countless matches was astonishing. WWE wanted no part of the Briscoes; in addition to the furore that ultimately sealed their fate, the Briscoes were not considered "cosmetically pleasing". 

Fightful Select reported in March 2022 that a "person of influence" within Warner Bros. Discovery banned AEW from making the signing due to Jay Briscoe's public social media history of homophobia. Jay, who immediately apologised for and remained regretful of his conduct until his tragic passing, tweeted in 2013 that he would "f*cking shoot" anybody who teaches children that there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriage.

This was an unconscionably awful thing to say, but the problem with a strong ethical facade is that it, sadly, it is precisely that: something to fret about when the PR risk is documented. More than one talent contracted to AEW was named as an alleged abuser in the #SpeakingOut movement of 2020, and the promotion also, to much consternation, hired Ric Flair in late 2023. It's sad when the star power exception extends to a man who can't even wrestle without a significant risk of death. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!