Ever since the news of Bray Wyatt’s death went public, the professional wrestling industry hasn’t really been the same. From Bray’s fellow performers to Hollywood stars, everyone has paid their tributes to the late WWE star, and the Triple-H led promotion’s competitor, AEW, also showed their respect for Windham.
After Bray’s death, the Jacksonville-based promotion first honored Wyatt’s legacy on social media, but now things seem to be going way ahead. In a really kind gesture, Tony Khan has even put AEW events at risk after Bray Wyatt’s death by ignoring his company’s rivalry with the Stamford-based promotion.
AEW President, Tony Khan is granting the AEW roster the option to miss the next two Dynamite events so they can attend memorial services for Bray Wyatt.
(Sean Ross Sapp, Fightful) pic.twitter.com/iRNSWHhEEJ
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) August 29, 2023
As per Wrestle Features, AEW’s President is granting his roster the option to miss the next two Dynamite events, so that willing talent can attend Bray Wyatt’s memorial services. As these reports started surfacing, fans started hailing Tony Khan for his gesture. However, many claimed that the Triple H-led promotion may not do the same if the need arises in the future.
Supporting Tony Khan’s decision, a pro wrestling fan said, “It’s the right thing to do. Can’t say WWE would do that.” “Vince would never do this for his roster,” an audience member wrote while claiming that Mr. McMahon wouldn’t do what AEW’s CEO did. Appreciating Tony for his kind gesture, another fan tweeted, “That’s a really stand up thing to do kudos to him.” (Via- X)
While fans are uncertain if Triple H’s company would have done the same for someone from AEW, Tony Khan’s decision is really appreciable. It shows that even though there might be a lot of differences among both the promotions, in the end, they’re all part of the pro wrestling family.
AEW paid tribute to Bray Wyatt at All In London
While Tony Khan giving AEW talent the option to miss the next two shows amid Bray’s death is a thing for the immediate future, the Jacksonville-based promotion has already honored the legacy of the late WWE star. This happened during the company’s recent All In London PPV on Sunday, August 27, 2023.
As the Tony Khan-led promotion made its historic UK debut at Wembley Stadium, multiple tributes were paid to The Eater of Worlds. The first moment of showing respect to Wyatt took place during the pre-show when Renee Paquette, fka Renee Young, used a quote by the late WWE star, and mentioned him by his real name, Windham Rotunda.
While this was like a mention to Bray, later in the show, The Fiend received a specific reference when World Trios Champions, House of Black, made their way to the ring. While coming out for their title defense against The Acclaimed, they carried a lantern to honor the former leader of The Wyatt Family.
As House of Black left the lantern on the ramp, Wembley Stadium’s lights were dimmed, and the crowd turned into “fireflies” by switching on their phone lights. This was one of the best moments of the entire show, as WWE’s biggest rival paid a beautiful tribute to one of the most iconic stars in the Stamford-based promotion’s history.