AEW's Tony Khan In Neck Brace For NFL Draft

Kayfabe, brother! AEW's Tony Khan sells the impact of his Dynamite attack during NFL day job

by Michael Hamflett
Tony Khan
NFL Network

All Elite Wrestling may be "Where The Best Wrestle", but the 2024 NFL Draft was where that action was being sold following the dramatic closing moments of Wednesday's Dynamite.

Tony Khan gets to wear many hats thanks to his family wealth, but never before has he sported a neck brace as well. Worlds collided on Thursday as the AEW President appeared alongside Father Shad for the second time in 48 hours in their capacities as Senior President of Football and Analytics and Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars respectively. In a noble effort to preserve the rules of his fictional universe, Khan wore the neck support in front of the legitimate sporting media after being quadruple teamed by The Elite in Dynamite's main event segment.

In a hot and hilarious beatdown, Jack Perry punched Khan in the stomach before Matthew and Nicholas Jackson teased hitting him with The EVP Trigger before drilling him with the Tony Khan Driver instead. The renamed Meltzer Driver proved to be some excellent foreshadowing from talents known for their hints and easter eggs, and the show went off the air with a confused-looking Shad hitting the ring to check on his son as the upgraded Elite departed.

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In storyline, Khan had just re-signed Jack Perry after the former Jungle Boy had torn up his AEW contract during a brief stint in NJPW. That stemmed from a suspension that followed Perry's backstage scuffle with CM Punk, the security camera footage of which aired on television two weeks earlier.

The angle drew lots of attention for being the first time Khan has been physically involved in such a manner, and only the second time Shad has been between the ropes on camera. Khan's appearance in the neck brace even captured the imagination of WWE's Pat McAfee, who was discussing the draft as part of his own NFL coverage.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett