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Tony Khan has been spearheading AEW's creative direction since 2019. While Khan has put together some amazing storylines over the past five years, he has also been criticized for many baffling decisions made behind the scenes.
TK's approach towards handling some specific talents has been quite questionable. Moreover, Khan's reluctance to listen to fans' concerns on certain occasions has led to comparisons between him and Vince McMahon.
The former chairman of the Stamford-based promotion was often called out for not being in touch with modern-day pro wrestling, something that has been noticed with Tony Khan lately. In this article, let's look at five incidents that indicate that TK might be similar to Vince McMahon.
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#5. Both bookers have had issues with CM Punk
CM Punk is one of the rare individuals who have been close to both Vince McMahon and Tony Khan. The Best in the World has worked in both WWE and AEW and has found great success in both promotions.
The Voice of the Voiceless walked out of WWE in early 2014 due to his issues with the Vince McMahon-led regime. CM Punk was frustrated with his poor booking, lack of appreciation from management, and WWE overlooking his health concerns. Following his departure from Titanland, Punk took several shots at the former WWE Chairman in multiple podcasts and interviews.
After a seven-year-long absence from pro wrestling, The Second City Saint arrived in All Elite Wrestling in August 2021. The Chicago native emerged as a proven draw for the Jacksonville-based promotion before his relationship with Tony Khan began to fall apart.
A year-long backstage feud with the likes of Hangman Page, Jack Perry, and The Elite caused Punk to lose his respect for TK. The 46-year-old star was disappointed with Khan for not taking care of the biggest draw in his company, a problem he faced with Vince McMahon as well.
The growing tensions between Punk and Khan ultimately resulted in The Best in the World being released from AEW in September 2023. Although the former AEW World Champion ultimately reconciled with WWE, it doesn't seem like the Chicago native will mend the fences with TK anytime soon.
#4. Tony Khan and Vince McMahon have been criticized for freezing talent contracts
Tony Khan recently added injury time to the contracts of Ricky Starks, Penta El-Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix to extend their stay in the Jacksonville-based promotion. All of these talents were rumored to move on from AEW at the end of their current deals, but TK has decided to keep them on the roster for a few more months.
In an attempt to keep these talents away from WWE, the head booker of All Elite Wrestling might have lost the goodwill of the audience. Khan has actively refused to use these wrestlers on television, keeping all the concerned individuals in limbo. TK's questionable actions have led to fans drawing parallels between him and Vince McMahon.
The former WWE Chairman was notorious for not letting go of superstars who requested their release from the Stamford-based promotion. Vinnie Mac was also known for burying talents who were at the tail end of their run in WWE.
While he has not resorted to humbling the departing stars, the decision to keep his signed wrestlers on the sidelines has certainly raised concerns over Tony Khan's integrity as a booker.
#3. The head booker of AEW has often been repulsive to others' creative inputs
The latest episode of Dynamite witnessed the return of Toni Storm. The 29-year-old star returned to AEW television after four months, with her last appearance being at All In 2024.
Soon after Storm's shocking return, it was announced that the former AEW Women's World Champion would wrestle on the upcoming episode of Rampage. It is a surprising decision on Tony Khan's part to have Storm compete on Rampage, as the Friday Night show is reportedly set to go off-air soon.
As per Bryan Alvarez, several backstage figures in AEW are "appalled" with The Illustrious' in-ring return on a soon-to-be-defunct brand. The incident also shed light on a recent backstage trend with the AEW President, who no longer considers the creative outputs of other personalities.
The head booker of All Elite Wrestling must remain open to ideas that could improve the quality of the company's product. If TK continues to be stubborn in his ways, he might lose the natural connection with his audience, which was a major concern in the case of Vince McMahon.
#2. TK and Vince McMahon are notorious for favoring specific older talents over young stars
At WWE Super Showdown 2020, Vince McMahon booked a 53-year-old Goldberg to end the undefeated streak of "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. McMahon's decision to have a part-time talent dethrone one of the hottest commodities of that time spoke volumes about how out of touch he was with the audience's demands.
Tony Khan has also been guilty of picking his favorites in AEW. The President of All Elite Wrestling has shown overreliance on Chris Jericho, who has scored wins over several young talents in the past few months. The Learning Tree currently holds the ROH World Championship, a title that he won after dethroning Mark Briscoe.
While the 54-year-old veteran was a key reason behind AEW's success during its initial years, it is high time that Jericho steps back in favor of other deserving talents. Tony Khan is a huge admirer of The Lionheart, which is the reason behind Jericho consistently getting screen time on Dynamite.
However, the fans are seemingly not interested in The Learning Tree's recent character changes. The screen time occupied by the reigning ROH World Champion could be used to build other underutilized talents like Ricky Starks, Katsuyori Shibata, and Rush.
Tony Khan must address the elephant in the room and rethink his strategy for booking Chris Jericho. Khan's focus should be on building future megastars, instead of elevating the same set of established veterans.
#1. Khan and McMahon could not figure out how to book Malakai Black
Malakai Black is one of the most incredible stars in the current era of pro wrestling. The Dutch Destroyer is an excellent performer within the squared circle, while also being an equally adept storyteller.
Unfortunately, The Striking Man from Amsterdam has not been able to showcase his true potential to the world since leaving NXT in 2019. While Triple H gave Black his deserved recognition as a main event talent, the 39-year-old performer has not had much luck with other bookers.
Neither Vince McMahon nor Tony Khan could capitalize on Malakai Black's immense potential. Vinnie Mac was unable to grasp the essence of Black's character. Meanwhile, Tony Khan has shown no interest in giving Black a proper singles push.
The former NXT Champion remained stuck in the mid-card scene under Vince McMahon's regime. After an underwhelming two-year-long run on the main roster, The Dutch Destroyer was shockingly released from the company in May 2021.
Following an impactful start in All Elite Wrestling, Malakai Black soon became an afterthought on a bloated AEW roster. While he has found decent success in the Trios division, the seasoned striker has not achieved anything significant as a solo performer.
For a total package like Malakai Black, it is baffling how he could not become a top singles star under the leaderships of TK and VKM.
