WWE veteran lashes out at AEW President Tony Khan over major reason - "He would ask me for favors"

Tony Khan has been heavily scrutinized in recent years, whether for his booking or business decisions. Now, a WWE veteran has lashed out at the AEW boss.

Konnan criticized Tony Khan for the way he handled his business with AAA. During the initial years of All Elite Wrestling, the company forged a partnership with AAA, allowing crossover opportunities for stars of both promotions. As a result, AAA's Triplemania XXVII featured several AEW stars like Cody Rhodes and The Elite. Meanwhile, several AAA talents competed on AEW TV.

However, this partnership got worse after the Jacksonville-based promotion partnered with CMLL. As part of this deal, AAA wrestlers were not allowed to be featured on AEW shows where CMLL wrestlers competed. However, more behind-the-scenes issues dampened this relationship.

Speaking on his Keepin' It 100 Official podcast, Konnan stated that Tony would ask him to make FTR the champions but didn't want to feature the titles on AEW TV. He also noted that the AEW boss wouldn't allow his talent to go to AAA shows after Konnan put the titles on them:

"To me with Tony, it all started with he would ask me for favors like, 'Oh, can you make FTR Champions?' Okay. And then he would never put the belts on air and I'm like, 'Why did we put the titles on them if these guys don't even wear them when they're coming outside?' or next thing you know is, 'Oh, they can't be there for this show because I have them doing something.' I go, 'Why did you ask me to put belts on these guys?'" [3:14 - 3:40]

---

Dave Meltzer offered Tony Khan some valuable advice

Ever since AEW first launched in 2019, Tony Khan has played many roles in the company from CEO to booker and General Manager. He did all this while still maintaining his responsibilities with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham. While his work ethic is commendable, it has started to take a toll on him which has only affected his booking decision.

Speaking on a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer acknowledged the busy schedule of the AEW boss but feels he should leave some of the booking decisions to others:

“Khan has pushed getting more into the weeds (detail work) of the booking. Really, given his schedule, he really should leave some of that detail work to others and concentrate on the big picture as well as the business end. The reality is CEO, GM, and booker are three different full-time jobs, and him doing all three while being owner and having jobs with the Jaguars and Fulham is insane.” [H/T Inside The Ropes]

It will be interesting to see if Tony Khan will take Dave Meltzer's advice and delegate some of his ta