Tony Khan Defends Controversial AEW Dynasty Finish
Tony Khan always takes fan responses into consideration.
At AEW Dynasty, Jon Moxley beat Swerve Strickland in a wild main event to retain the World Championship.
As has essentially become a tradition in recent months, the bout was filled with run-ins and weapons, but when all was said and done it was Moxley who stood tall.
After another Swerve Stomp, Strickland looked set to claim the win, but the lights went out. When they came back on, the Young Bucks stood over him and hit a BTE Trigger before leaving through the crowd. With Strickland finally laid out, Moxley pinned him to escape with the title.
The shock appearance was the first time The Bucks had been seen in AEW since October when they were shown fleeing as the Death Riders began their takeover.
Moxley’s victory has come in for heavy criticism online with many fans feeling it was time for a change, especially given Strickland’s popularity. However, Tony Khan appears determined to follow through with the storyline as planned.
Tony Khan Stands By AEW Dynasty Main Event
During the post-show media scrum, Khan was asked whether he’s open to “calling an audible” if the situation calls for it. In response, he admitted that’s always a possibility, he’s happy with the story being told coming out of the main event.
“Absolutely, I take that into consideration. We had a lot of great moments for the fans tonight. Swerve was the more popular man in the house tonight.
You had two great AEW World Champions having this match and the return of the Young Bucks spoiled what was a great World Championship match on a night where there were a lot of fan favorite moments. That was obviously not necessarily the outcome that a lot of people were hoping for.
On the other hand, I do think that Jon Moxley has been, from the very beginning of AEW one of the most important figures from the very first pay-per-view we ever did. It’s very interesting now. This creates a lot of intrigue to have the Young Bucks come back. It’s important to remember we have not seen the Young Bucks in almost six months in AEW.
From the very beginning, they have been instrumental in the launch. They are founding fathers. To see them come back this way and get involved and break up what could have been a great moment for the fans, that is consistent with the kind of character we’ve seen from the Young Bucks in recent years. I would say it creates an intriguing situation.
Certainly, the fans are behind Swerve. They are every bit as behind him today, after the event, as they have been at any point. I don’t think the Young Bucks involvement and screwing him changes that. Tonight, it creates an intriguing situation.
I am very aware the fans love Swerve and he’s one of our most popular stars. Jon Moxley, you could argue, not just his history, but recently has done great things for the company,”
Elsewhere on the show, Adam Cole beat Daniel Garcia to claim the TNT Championship, Bandido became ROH World Champion, and Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay, and Kyle Fletcher advanced in the Owen Hart Cup.
H/t to Fightful