Tony Khan’s Reaction To Iconic WWE Backstage Photo Revealed

Tony Khan has revealed what really went through his mind when he saw a recent WWE photo showcasing four champions he’s very familiar with.

The recent Saturday Night’s Main Event proved to be a huge night for former AEW stars in WWE. Cody Rhodes retained his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in somewhat controversial circumstances.

Seth Rollins was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Title due to injury, leading to a match being made for the vacant championship between Jey Uso and CM Punk. Punk bested Uso to recapture the title that was cruelly taken from him by Rollins at SummerSlam.

Jade Cargill turned heel for the first time in WWE when she turned on WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. Cargill captured the first singles gold of her WWE career when she beat Stratton for that title.

Those three champions were joined by NXT Champion Ricky Saints, who was not part of the Saturday Night’s Main Event show, for a photo which showed four former AEW stars posing with their gold, which many saw as a shot at Tony Khan.

Tony Khan Smiled At WWE Star’s Photo

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Tony Khan was asked what he thought when he saw the photo, and according to the AEW boss, it was a nice reminder of simpler times:

It did make me smile because it reminded me of Double or Nothing 2020, the first pandemic pay-per-view. We put on this great pay-per-view and Cody won the TNT title, and Mox retained the AEW World Title versus the late, great Mr. Brodie Lee — may he rest in peace.

After the show, Cody and Mox — in this area of Daily’s Place that is the one communal area… it’s part of what brings everyone together — they took a photo. It’s very tight, the talent viewing, the gorilla, the interview space — it’s all one space that connects the amphitheater. And after Double or Nothing 2020, Cody and Mox took a photo and I thought it was interesting. It just reminded me how far in the mirror that was. And I remember the photo that Cody and Mox took, and in that moment, I think I took it — on my phone.

Khan was then asked if he took the photo as a personal shot at him:

I have relationships with all four of them, and they’re very different. I could talk for two hours about each of the four of them and why I like them and why I thought they were great in AEW. But to be completely honest with you, it just made me think of Double or Nothing 2020 and being there in Jacksonville and taking that photo on my phone and remembering that night and thinking, ‘Man, it’s crazy how five and a half years have flown by.’