AEW "very unhappy" with wrestling personality over comments on Tony Khan - Reports

Tony Khan has become a prominent figure for building AEW into one of the top promotions in professional wrestling. He has built a roster full of world-class athletes, but his approach often has attracted negative remarks, which became the talk of the town at a recent major event.

AEW recently collaborated with NJPW to produce the highly anticipated Wrestle Dynasty pay-per-view in Japan. The show featured a star-studded line-up of top wrestling stars, such as Zack Sabre Jr., Mercedes Mone, The Young Bucks, and Shota Umino.

Moreover, Wrestle Dynasty also saw Kenny Omega's in-ring return in a stellar showdown against Gabe Kidd. However, NJPW announcer Chris Charlton's remarks during the match became the center of discussion.

During the match between Omega and Gabe, Chris Charlton called AEW President Tony Khan a "money mark." This was in direct reference to Khan taking top stars from NJPW and signing them to his roster. Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio claimed that there was some unhappiness regarding Charlton's comments.

"I heard from someone in Japan who is very close to everything and basically said, there’s stuff going on there and they’re very unhappy about that. But he was watching the Japanese version so had no idea what it was. Obviously, the guys trying to sell an angle."[H/T: TJRWrestling]

Another personality believes Chris Charlton was trying to sell a storyline with remarks towards AEW's Tony Khan

In the same edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer's co-host, Bryan Alvarez, stated that Chris Charlton's comments might be a planned move. According to him, Charlton might be trying to sell the storyline between Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd.

However, Alvarez also noted that there could have been a way to build the storyline without mentioning derogatory remarks about Tony Khan, which led to many fans expressing their displeasure.

"Yes, there was an angle here with Gabe Kidd coming out with the New Japan trunks on and they’re trying to do a story here. But the issue people had was there’s a way to build up the rivalry without saying that Tony Khan is a money mark who stole Jay White and Okada and Kenny Omega and has done nothing with them since." [H/T: TJR Wrestling]

Regardless, Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd delivered a stellar in-ring showdown. Moreover, Dave Meltzer even stated that Tony Khan should put the AEW World Title on Omega after witnessing his first performance back in the ring in a long time.

With Tony Khan dragged into the mix at NJPW Wrestle Dynasty, we will have to wait and see if this translates into a future program, as AEW is set to collaborate with NJPW once again later this year for Forbidden Door in August 2025.