WWE and AEW have been locked in heated competition, starting even before the times of “AEW Dynamite” going head-to-head against “WWE NXT” before the developmental brand moved to Tuesday nights. Despite the change, WWE continues to schedule shows on vital dates for AEW, including the recent “NXT” versus TNA “Showdown” special that went head-to-head with AEW’s “Title Tuesday” special, when “Dynamite” had to modify up nights as a consequence of the MLB playoffs.
AEW President Tony Khan recently sat down on “The Ariel Helwani Show” and spoke with the host about all things wrestling, and addressed former AEW star Matt Hardy’s previous comments on the show. Hardy said that he believed the WWE and TNA partnership may need been created to harm AEW. Khan said that he loves each Matt and Jeff Hardy despite their AEW departures, and said he didn’t find the comments to be malicious.
“I respect that opinion rather a lot,” he said. “I feel it’s probably true, and I respect that Matt said it, truthfully, that is really cool… I feel it’s a really interesting collaboration. I feel Matt hit the nail on the pinnacle that it is smart, and AEW is a really strong challenger brand, and it isn’t that unusual.”
Khan said he takes it as a compliment, and compared it to back when WCW was beginning to take off, and Smokey Mountain Wrestling was running shows to compete with the promotion. He explained that Vince McMahon sent WWF wrestlers to the promotion to compete with WCW, and it isn’t unusual to see WWE collaborate with one other company when there is a challenger brand.
“So, it isn’t that unusual, and again, I do not take it personally in any respect,” Khan said. “It is smart, taking a look at the wrestling playbook of the WWF.”
Khan Address Viral Championship Photo
Helwani then asked Khan in regards to the viral photo former AEW World Champion CM Punk posted to Instagram following probably the most recent Saturday Night’s Principal Event. Punk shared a picture of himself posing with fellow former AEW stars, Jade Cargill, Ricky Saints, and Cody Rhodes, all wearing their WWE championships. Khan began off his comment talking about how great he believes AEW is doing without delay, and the way he thinks his roster is delivering great shows, but said Punk’s photo did make him smile, as he considered a photograph Rhodes and Jon Moxley took after an AEW show with their titles.
“It jogged my memory of Double or Nothing 2020, the primary pandemic pay-per-view, we placed on this great pay-per-view, and Cody won the TNT title and Mox retained the AEW World title versus the late, great Mr. Brody Lee, may he rest in peace,” Khan said. “After Double or Nothing 2020, Cody and Mox took a photograph, and I believed it was interesting.”
Khan said he has relationships with all 4 of the celebrities within the photo and said they’re very different. He said he could talk for hours about all 4 of them and why he likes them and why he thought they were great in AEW.
“But, they’re all not wrestling in AEW anymore,” he said. “But to be completely honest, I just thought that photo, it made me consider Double or Nothing in 2020 and being there in Jacksonville and taking that photo on my phone and remembering that night, and pondering man, ‘It’s crazy how five and a half years have flown by.'”
In case you use any quotes from this text, please credit “The Helwani Show” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.