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Fan Reveals DM From Tony Khan In Defense Of Controversial AEW Storyline

By Sondra Ruth • Published 13th October 2023
Tony Khan AEW

One fan revealed the DM he received from Tony Khan after taking to social media to criticize a controversial AEW storyline.

The October 10th episode of AEW Dynamite featured a controversial angle in which, during a confrontation between MJF and Bullet Club Gold, Juice Robinson took to the microphone and revealed that he would enter himself in the Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royal. Robinson then declared that he would give MJF a present, then revealing that he had a roll of quarters in his pocket.

The quarters are a reference to a traumatic story that MJF recounted from his childhood where he was targeted, beaten and called anti-Semitic slurs. The World Champion angrily stormed off to close out the segment, and the crowd in attendance was silent, clearly uncomfortable with the angle.

While MJF himself has been outspoken in defense of the angle, the segment has come under fire on social media with many questioning the use of an anti-Semitic storyline in light of the current conflict in Israel. One such criticism came from Troy Aikers, who quote tweeted an article on the subject with the following statement:

“We were watching @AEW when this happened live last night. It was tasteless and a horrible decision by @TonyKhan to pursue an angle woven with anti-Semitism. We changed the channel. AEW lost me as a fan with this one, which sucks because I really enjoyed their product.”

Tony Khan Sent DM To Troy Aikers Regarding MJF Storyline Criticism

Aikers was surprised to receive a direct message on from AEW President Tony Khan on X (formerly Twitter), and he took to social media to share screenshots of the interaction. The screenshots reveal that Khan said the following:

“I got the point that you didn’t like the angle on the 2nd tweet Travis. Message was received hours ago. I don’t think quote tweeting TMZ is doing much good.”

Aikers responded:

“How often do you slide into a fan’s DMs to mock a legitimate critique? I love AEW. In my opinion, you have the greatest roster in the entire industry. I’ve been to over a dozen AEW shows, have a couple friends in the company, and have promoted your brand extensively. If I can recommend anything, it would be to not just acknowledge our legitimate concern, but address it head on, non-kayfabe on next week’s Dynamite.”

Tony Khan made it clear in a subsequent DM that the reason he reached out was that he knew who Aikers was.

Tony Khan’s social media use has come into scrutiny in recent days, with many believing the AEW President should step away from posting online.