Tony Khan, CEO of AEW, came under fire at the hands of the wrestling fanbase recently. The reason for the backlash being that he made some bold promises about the main event of Dynamite. He made an appearance on stage and promised a big reward to the fans if they stayed put until the main event. This naturally got everyone curious and all sorts of theories were being shared through social media.
He then kicked it up several notches by tweeting about a “balance of power” in AEW waiting to happen. The point Khan was referring to was the return of British wrestler Pac.
The wrestler was making his return to America after a seven-month hiatus. His return may represent huge business for the company, but the news left many fans underwhelmed. They pointed out in their tweets that AEW was giving unnecessary hype to insignificant events.
Prior to the fans finding out, they thought the hype pointed to possible appearances from big names like Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Those same speculations fell flat after the first part of the surprise was revealed.
When Khan was questioned by PWInsider.com about the backlash he had received, he attempted to clarify the “power shift” statement. He said that the statement not only pointed towards Pac’s return but other major upcoming events as well.
He further added that Pac’s comeback was just the “beginning of a huge push for the rest of the year.” According to him, what he meant by the balance of power was Eddie Kingston’s strong power base as a character potentially being taken away from him. Khan also referred to new upcoming events for AEW coming for the rest of the year and continuing well into 2021.
He stated in his tweet the next day,
“We’ve made some big announcements & huge matches for next week & for weeks to come into December. Tonight opened a new chapter, I promise indelible moments on Dynamite are still coming in 2020.”
Pac made his appearance on Dynamite after the gasp-inducing match between Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix. Eddie Kingston, the commentator, seemed to be chewing Fenix out when Pac’s theme music suddenly started playing and he walked out, confronting Kingston.
Referees were seen attempting to pull the two irate men away from each other. This points to a potential match amongst the two in the near future.
Tony Khan is considered by wrestling fans a pop culture icon, with Vince McMahon, CEO of WWE, being his direct competitor.
Despite Khan’s status, fans were found to be exasperated by his tweet. They were found to be comparing him to the likes of Dixie Carter, former booker at TNA. According to fans, Carter had nearly ruined TNA’s status. Luckily for TNA, it was saved from further embarrassment when it was converted into “Impact Wrestling.”
Some fans, however, were also seen defending Khan and praising him for the great show he put on. They were also confronting the “haters” and “trolls” on his behalf.
