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Tony Khan Lashes Out At WWE’s Predatory Business Practices

By Lyle Kilbane • Published 8th June 2024
Tony Khan AEW

Tony Khan is not shy about voicing his opinions when it comes to AEW and some of the challenges they face as he hits out at the dark arts performed by WWE.

Ever since Vince McMahon made his play to make WWE the global powerhouse in professional wrestling, there have been countless stories about the company’s ways of hurting the competition. Whether it was the infamous Black Saturday in the 1980s, Vince McMahon sending letters to WCW owner Ted Turner over WCW’s content, or Triple H calling Madison Square Garden to nix the ROH/NJPW supershow in 2018, there’s plenty been done against promotions some claim WWE wouldn’t care about.

Tony Khan has long claimed WWE is using all means to work against him and now it seems WWE is getting the blame for leaking fast national rating numbers that don’t show AEW in a good light.

Tony Khan Suffering Same Issues As Jim Crockett

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer made the claim that WWE was behind the leak of Collision’s recent early rating and noted that the two sides are in a PR war with WWE clearly having the advantage:

This was a number supplied by WWE and for those of you who feel like WWE isn’t concerned with AEW or its a one-sided thing… AEW is in a war with WWE and you know, it’s a pro wrestling war ok? These pro wrestling wars are insidious they are brutal…

They’re both in a public relations war. One side obviously is far more effective as far as getting news out there and controlling the media, a lot of the media, because they’re afraid of not having access or whatever they’re afraid of. WWE, obviously whenever AEW has a badly rated show WWE make sure that the fast nationals get out.

Now in this case, I don’t know how that number got out because that was not the fast nationals number for Collision. Again, the fast nationals are not exactly but they’re not far off.

Taking to social media, Tony Khan responded to Meltzer who was standing by his reporting and claimed he is suffering the same issues that other promotions have dealt with over the years:

These are the same predatory business practices that Jim Crockett Promotions + many former wrestling territories faced in the 1980s. I’m very grateful to all of you wrestling fans who watch AEW, and @AEW is here to stay. See you TONIGHT on @TNTdrama 10pm ET/9pm CT #AEWRampage

Tony Khan has also recently admitted that he’s a sicko and he books matches for sickos ahead of the upcoming Forbidden Door show on June 30th.