Highlights
- The Elite’s attack on Tony Khan signals their intention to take over AEW.
- Tony Khan may appoint a new AEW General Manager to run day-to-day operations.
- Possibilities for the new GM include Kenny Omega, Sting, DDP, and Jake Roberts.
On last week’s Dynamite, AEW President Tony Khan was attacked and injured at the hands of The Elite, including their newest member who made his return at AEW Dynasty, Jack Perry. It started out as a wholesome reunion where bygones were going to be bygones, from when Tony Khan had suspended Jack Perry for his actions at AEW All In with CM Punk. The two men had embraced, with the AEW Chairman welcoming Perry back into the fold. Suddenly, Perry took a cheap shot and struck Tony Khan down. The Young Bucks came down to intervene, but only added insult to injury as they hoisted Tony Khan up and drilled him with a Meltzer Driver, now known as a TK Driver after their boss.
The Elite sent a clear message to Tony Khan about their intentions of taking over the organization. The AEW President has taken measures and has seemingly hinted that an AEW General Manager will be named as early as Wednesday on Dynamite.
Backstage Reaction In WWE And AEW To Tony Khan’s Harvey Weinstein Comment
If you were trying to upset your own employees, mission accomplished.
Tony Khan Has Done A Great Job In Selling His Neck Injury
Tony Khan Wore A Neck Brace During The NFL Draft
- Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff were often part of wrestling storylines.
- Tony Khan hadn’t portrayed a character on AEW TV.
- Jack Perry spent eight months away from AEW.
Seeing Tony Khan being attacked on AEW Dynamite a week ago was a big shock to the wrestling world. While it’s not uncommon for an authority figure to become involved in a wrestling angle or storyline (i.e. Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, etc.), the chances of seeing the AEW Chairman become directly involved in a storyline were not something that we ever expected. It was clear that Tony Khan was in charge of the operations, but up until now, he had stayed away from being directly involved in any type of physical altercations or situations that would place him in harms way.
Jack Perry expressed his frustrations with being placed on the sidelines for the last eight months and had clearly sent a loud message to AEW and Tony Khan during his stint with NJPW, going so far as to rip up his AEW contract in front of the world. We knew that Jack Perry wasn’t going to let this situation go lying down. After the attack, Tony Khan sold the injury during the NFL Draft as he represented his Jacksonville Jaguars and continued to sell the injury during multiple media appearances.
During one of those media interviews, Tony Khan spoke about or rather teased the idea of bringing in a general manger to AEW to run the on-screen day-to-day operations while he continues to recover from his neck injury.
Tony Khan Wears A Neck Brace At The NFL Draft; Pat McAfee Mentions AEW Attack
Tony Khan blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality by wearing a brace to sell his injuries at the NFL Draft!
What Tony Khan Had To Say About This New AEW Authority Figure
Who Could The New Possible AEW GM Be?
- Tony Khan says a high ranking official will fill in for him on AEW TV.
- Kenny Omega is the likely choice to be an AEW GM.
- Sting, DDP, and Jake Roberts could also play an AEW authority figure.
Tony Khan did an interview with SEScoops, as he answered the question as to who could run AEW during his absence and recovery. He said:
“We all have experience working outside the office. During the lockdown, we got used to meetings on Teams and Zoom. I’ll still be overseeing AEW and managing the show remotely. As for who will be the highest-ranking official onsite, stay tuned Wednesday. It will certainly be addressed this week on TBS. This power struggle that is happening in AEW.”
With that being said, we have several names that could be more involved with AEW’s programming and be physical, more so than Tony Khan if the situation calls upon it. The first and foremost pick could be Kenny Omega. “The Cleaner” is still recovering from his recent health scare, diverticulitis, and is slated to return to AEW Dynamite this Wednesday in his hometown of Winnipeg. Given that he was fired by The Elite a month ago and his history with The Elite (including his rival, Kazuchika Okada), he would be the perfect choice to control AEW for at least a short time until he’s cleared to compete.
Another choice could include Sting. Tony Khan has been looking for new non-wrestling roles for Sting to fill since officially retiring from the ring at AEW Revolution. Sting has been a GM in the past with TNA Wrestling, so this role wouldn’t be new territory for him and would allow for Sting to be back on AEW programming to at least entertain the fans and have some fun. Other choices could include Diamond Dallas Page, who is a close friend of Tony Khan and could be a great GM. Jake “The Snake” Roberts cannot be ruled out either, despite his association with Lance Archer as his mentor/manager.
Tony Khan Takes Controversial Shot At WWE During Live NFL Network Interview
Tony Khan was on NFL Network and while talking about AEW, took a controversial shot at WWE that many are calling over the line.
The Civil War Between The Elite And AEW Has Only Just Begun
The Elite Attacking Tony Khan Is Reminiscient Of The NWO In WCW
What we saw on AEW Dynamite is more than likely just a big prelude to things to come on AEW television. This is a borderline re-imaging or a modern-day take on the n.W.o. angle with WCW from 1996. Granted, the times were different and that helped propel WCW to new heights and had them beating Vince McMahon and WWE in the ratings for almost two years. Will this be the same story for AEW? Well, stranger things have happened, but it’s rather unlikely. However, one thing is for certain, this will create some very interesting and intriguing storytelling on AEW that we haven’t seen in a while.
