AEW President Tony Khan has made it clear that he has no plans to appear as a character in his promotion going forward.
The trope of an authority figure on a wrestling show is an old one, though of late, fans have grown tired of it. Vince McMahon revolutionized it in the late 90s, thanks to his era-defining rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin. However, in recent years the focus has shifted to in-ring competition, which is why we don't see many authority figures on TV.
Speaking on the Pardon My Take podcast, Tony Khan stated that although he has appeared as an authority figure in IMPACT Wrestling to promote AEW, he has no plans to turn it into a character in his promotion.
Khan further explained that one could become too self-centered while writing for themselves on TV, which is a line he doesn't want to cross.
“I’ve done stuff on other wrestling shows that kind of promote AEW and cross over,” Khan said. “But that’s kind of the line I don’t want to cross, because I feel like you disappear up your own butt when you start writing that way.” (H/T - WrestlingInc)
The only time Tony Khan appeared as a character was on the first episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, where he cut a promo on AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. However, his appearance wasn't well-received by fans, and he subsequently made no appearances on All Elite Wrestling's programming.
AEW President Tony Khan has been an entertaining presence in IMPACT Wrestling
Tony Khan and broadcaster Tony Schiavone made many appearances in IMPACT Wrestling in the form of paid advertisements. The two promoted AEW Dynamite during the ad breaks while taking slight digs at IMPACT Wrestling.
He also appeared on the 9th June episode, where he participated in the AEW/IMPACT Wrestling summit. On the show, Khan and IMPACT EVP Scott D'Amore announced that Sami Callihan would challenge for the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship at Slammiversary 2021.
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