5 Ways AEW's Tony Khan Is A Great Wrestling Booker (& 5 Ways He ISN'T)

3. IS - He Inherited Paul Heyman's Throne

Sting AEW
AEW

"Accentuate the positives, hide the negatives."

That is an ancient wrestling maxim, but it was Paul Heyman who articulated it and - looking at the state of half that '90s ECW roster - perfected it. Not every wrestler should be an all-rounder - in fact, that's half the problem with the form in 2023, over half of them try to be - and those who aren't should be protected.

Jeff Jarrett can still go to a remarkable extent, but few want to see him work back-and-forth matches. Khan might have dragged out the fun a bit too long, but for a while, the knowing, hyper over-booking was deliriously entertaining midcard fare that played with Jarrett's rep as a carny.

The run has bombed overall, sadly, because Keith Lee isn't the specimen he once was a few years ago, but even a disappointment yielded one of the most emotional and unexpectedly fantastic tag team matches ever (Swerve In Our Glory Vs. the Acclaimed, All Out 2022). Khan recognised Lee's limitations and, for a brief time anyway, worked around them superbly.

At long last, he somehow got a tune out of the profoundly broken down Kota Ibushi: his performance in the triumph that was the Like A Dragon Street Fight evoked memories of the unhinged creative genius of old.

Khan's treatment of the Sting character and the 60 plus year-old man who plays him might well be his greatest achievement. In allowing Sting to go undefeated and show his mischievous side - in astonishingly well thought-out party matches with carefully laid-out high spots and opponents who can create movement for him - Khan has positioned Sting as both loveable elder statesman and invincible ageless badass. Khan has made fans feel like awe-struck millennials watching their childhood hero without feeling like they even grew up.

The run is literally magic.

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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!