Ariel Helwani Denies Being A Wrestling Journalist As He Hits Back At Tony Khan
Ariel Helwani has discussed the backstage reaction when Tony Khan blasted him on social media.
Having appeared on the final Friday Night SmackDown before Elimination Chamber, Tony Khan took to social media to call Helwani a fraud. The pair haven’t been on good terms since it was clear the AEW head honcho refused to answer certain questions during an interview between the two.
Helwani would go on to make a further appearance at Elimination Chamber, where Michael Cole talked up the credentials of the journalist on commentary.
Now talking on The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani discussed how the news spread backstage about what had been said on social media.
The amazing thing was how the whole thing spread backstage. Everyone, ‘you see the tweet? You see the tweet?’ I’ve just been here for four hours. I don’t even know a lot of these people. This is a amazing. ‘How could he…was that really him…blah blah blah.’ Yeah, I guess it was really him. He doesn’t follow me, but I guess it was really him. I kind of feel bad for Tony Schiavone; he was insulted in the process. Bizarre.
Ariel Helwani went on to talk about why Tony Khan wanted to get himself over, whilst also disputing the comparisons often made with Dave Meltzer.
I know he’s [Khan] trying to get himself over on me because lord knows he needs it, I wasn’t going to let that happen. I could tell you a lot more about that interview that we did about how weird and bizarre that whole thing was, but I’m not going to do that.
The thing and that explodes and the best thing is all the freakazoids now come to Tony’s defense and start to tell me about my career, about my life, about journalism. Let me explain to you because poor Dave Meltzer I see continues to get compared to me, I am not Dave Meltzer. I’ve never claimed to be Dave Meltzer. I don’t cover pro wrestling for a living. I don’t have a wrestling show. I don’t have a wrestling website. I don’t have a wrestling newsletter.
Why do you guys keep comparing me to this guy? Because I’m that guy in MMA? I’ve never been that guy in this sport. When I signed with BT Sport, the sole thing I was hired to do was mainly UFC. Go back to the announcement, it was UFC.
Helwani concluded that he doesn’t classify himself as a wrestling journalist.
The point is I don’t consider myself to be a wrestling journalist. I don’t know why all of you are all up in arms. I’m having fun. I’m living my life. I feel sorry if you can’t have this kind of fun. It was great.
With thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.