Mick Foley Praises Tony Khan’s AEW Management Style, Explains How It’s Different To Vince McMahon In WWE

Published: Jun 2, 2026 by Liam | Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026 by Liam

Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.

Mick Foley Praises Tony Khan’s AEW Management Style, Explains How It’s Different To Vince McMahon In WWE

Mick Foley has praised the management style of AEW CEO Tony Khan and explained how it’s different to that of Vince McMahon in WWE.

Foley has officially joined AEW as a member of the broadcast team, debuting on the pre-show for Double Or Nothing on May 24, after leaving WWE due to disagreeing with the company’s political affiliations.

In an interview on the Ariel Helwani Show today, Foley spoke about Khan and his management style backstage in AEW, noting how it’s different compared to how Vince McMahon ran things in WWE.

Foley said:

“To see Tony backstage, it’s really… the word I’m coming up with is joyous. Because he’s filled with joy in that position.

“He jumps up, the first thing he does is ask people if they’re okay. He’s happy, he’s really happy.

“I’ve said many times, there’s no one way to cross the finish line, whether it’s wrestling or portraying Santa Claus or whether it’s producing a pay-per-view show.

“But I have to tell you, as a guy who always reacted better to a pat on the back than a kick in the butt, I would have really enjoyed that style.

“Mr McMahon had his own style, and of course, when he put you over, it meant a lot – he didn’t do it nearly as much.

“He didn’t jump up from his seat to meet the talent that was coming through.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

Is Tony Khan’s AEW Management Style Effective?

While no-one has questioned how nice of a boss Tony Khan is, there is a difference between being nice and being effective.

One of the criticisms of the approach that Mick Foley explained is that it makes Khan an easy target to be ‘walked over’ by talent, which can ultimately lead to some major issues like the CM Punk fallout with The Elite.

While that may have been a concern, especially early on in AEW’s life, it seems that as time goes on, Khan is growing into his role and seems more comfortable taking charge of situations.