SUMMARY
- Tony Khan has single-handedly built his empire with a varied range of talents.
- Tony Khan has called out Vince McMahon, Triple H, and other WWE wrestlers several times on his 'X' posts.
All Elite Wrestling has succeeded in establishing itself as the top competitor of WWE in the market despite its relatively brief history. Although several individuals have made substantial contributions to AEW’s success, Tony Khan, the CEO of the business, is undoubtedly the one who has done the most to make the Jacksonville-based corporation well-known.
Tony Khan has single-handedly built his empire with a varied range of talents. He has openly talked about the idea of delivering premium professional wrestling to fans around the globe. Khan‘s calculated decisions have shown him great wonders since 2019 and continue to be the talk of the town. However, he has faced a lot of criticism for his controversial decisions and remarks against the WWE.
Tony has solidified the world of professional wrestling after introducing AEW to the scene. He has made blockbuster signings each year and continues to grow. Huge signings like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and CM Punk have made AEW a popular name in the world of the professional wrestling industry.
In addition to making his promotion by delivering classic matches and rivalries, he has also taken a lot of shots against WWE. Tony has shown from time to time how good his company is and why it is superior to the rival company. He has called out Vince McMahon, Triple H, and other WWE wrestlers several times on his ‘X’ posts.
5. Tony Khan takes a shot at Nick Khan amid NJPW rumors
WWE and NJPW had a brief discussion during 2021, which led to no proper conclusion. During this time, Tony Khan also approached NJPW for a possible collaboration, which saw a lot of wrestlers from NJPW make a jump to AEW. Various wrestlers like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and other top wrestlers from Japan appeared in the Jacksonville-based promotion during that time.
Ahead of tonight’s Live #AEWDynamite at 10pm ET/9pm CT, and #AEWDoN on ppv Sunday, AEW Owner/President @TonyKhan, aka the Forbidden Door, addressed rumors of a relationship between @WWE & @njpwglobal, + what this means to @AEW! Watch Dynamite tonight LIVE coming up on @TNTdrama! pic.twitter.com/atFTSrvyqZ
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 29, 2021
Tony took a shot at WWE warning Nick Khan, the president of WWE that only one Khan can rule the world of professional wrestling. He stated, “I have future plans for the US Title, so you’ve really gotten a lot done in the last two months, Nick. In fact, I think there’s only room for one Khan in the wrestling business. It’s me, it’s Tony Khan. Not some con-man from Connecticut”.
AEW also held an exclusive event featuring talents from NJPW and AEW called ‘The Forbidden Door’. It has showcased several dream matches between NJPW wrestlers and Jacksonville-based promotion wrestlers and was positively received by the crowd.
4. The time when Tony Khan declared war against WWE SmackDown
Tony Khan is known for his unorthodox style of promoting his company over the years. He involves his rival competition WWE very often in his tweets, hyping up several AEW shows and matches. The same happened in October 2021, when WWE announced an extended version of SmackDown for October 15, 2021. Khan welcomed the opportunity to go head-to-head with their flagship show.
I saw you’re doing a half hour head-to-head with us. I can’t wait to finally beat your main show head-to-head. It’s been a long time coming. See you next Friday for #AEWRampage on @AEWonTNT!
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 9, 2021
Tony stated, “I saw you’re doing a half hour head-to-head with us. I can’t wait to finally beat your main show head-to-head. It’s been a long time coming”. AEW’s Rampage was tested against WWE’s flagship show, which saw fans getting hyped up for the feisty encounter.
Surprisingly, Rampage beat SmackDown in the 18-49 demographic during the 30-minute head-to-head. Despite receiving a mixed response from the fans, Tony was determined that Rampage would defeat the blue brand, which it exceptionally did.
3. Tony Khan takes a dig at Vince McMahon’s misconduct assaults
AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT went head-to-head in October 2023, which saw a huge engagement for both shows. The Stamford-based promotion tried their level best to beat AEW after introducing John Cena, The Undertaker, and Cody Rhodes for a special edition of NXT. On the other hand, the Jacksonville-based promotion announced Title Tuesday special Dynamite, in which several titles were being defended.
If Sir Vince McMahon said this, it would be the least of his alleged misdeeds. #AEWTitleTuesday on TBS
Tuesday #AEWDynamite Tonight!— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 10, 2023
While hyping up his show, a fan commented that he would not be watching Dynamite. Khan immediately responded with a sarcastic statement about not seeing the fan during the show. In response, another fan said that AEW supporters would be sobbing and calling WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon unprofessional if he had tweeted the same thing.
Tony Khan took notice of this tweet as well. The president of AEW chose not to back down, believing that this was his chance to challenge Vince McMahon. Khan gently brought up McMahon’s hush money and s**ual scandals, saying that if Vince did tweet the same thing Khan did, it would be less damaging than the reported scandals.
2. Tony Khan takes a shot at Triple H and Shawn Michaels
During the historic head-to-head competition between Dynamite and NXT in October of 2023, Tony gave it all out with his constant tweets about the company. He was annoyed to see WWE bringing in huge stars for their show, which he used to mock for their fear.
I have a message for them:
See you TONIGHT at a special Tuesday Night #AEWDynamite:
Title Fight Tuesday
At 8pm ET/7pm CT on @TBSNetwork
At least the first 30 Minutes Are Commercial-Free, + a big overrun TONIGHT! https://t.co/ZKVQVnlMnf pic.twitter.com/ruuc2k49kD— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 10, 2023
There were rumors that Triple H and Shawn Michaels wanted to send a message to Tony Khan, implying that he still had a long way to go in the competition. In response, AEW President Tony Khan called out Shawn Michaels and Triple H on Twitter, asking them to watch Title Tuesday. Along with his message, he also posted a photo showing the word, “Bald A**hole” for Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
1. Tony Khan talks about the World Heavyweight Championship feud in WWE
On an episode of Monday Night RAW, Jinder Mahal engaged in a promo match with Seth Rollins following an excellent segment with The People’s Champion. He was given the opportunity to challenge for The Visionary’s World Heavyweight Championship. Their bout is scheduled for the show’s January 15 edition.
Things have heated up significantly because of Tony Khan, even though at first it appeared to be simply another defense for Rollins. The head of AEW responded controversially to Jinder’s chance to capture the coveted title by making fun of the former WWE Champion. His post ignited a furious debate on the internet.
A double standard:@730hook 28-1 career record, on winning streak calls out the Champ, a logical challenge sparks online outrage
Jinder has literally lost every single match he’s in for the past year, immediately gets title shot, where is the rage#AEWDynamite TOMORROW on TBS
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 9, 2024
Tony Khan also talked about how AEW Superstar Hook was criticized for getting a title shot in AEW. He further stated that there is no rage regarding Jinder’s challenge, despite him losing all his matches. Along with the WWE management, Khan also targeted the WWE Universe with his controversial remarks.
Though many believe this unorthodox style of Tony Khan will never bring him a fortune. Others think that it might help him achieve stability and be a considerate threat to WWE. Over the years, there hasn’t been any competition for the Stamford-based promotion, and with his constant callouts, Tony has developed AEW as a huge threat. Only time will tell if AEW has what it takes to defeat the Triple H-led promotion.