Tony Khan Responds To Concerns Of Too Much Violence In AEW

AEW CEO Tony Khan has responded to people saying there’s often too much violence and gore throughout the promotion.

This past year has seen Jon Moxley and the Death Riders especially involved in some violent segments involving the plastic bag over the head of Bryan Danielson and attempting to drown Darby Allin in a fish tank.

These moments have been a hallmark of AEW that have set the company apart from WWE since its inception, but it often comes under criticism from some fans who believe it goes too far.

Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Tony Khan responded to that belief, saying:

“It has to make sense. And almost everything we’ve ever done, I thought it made sense. “The things that – if there were ever a few that didn’t work out – I thought, well, that probably didn’t make sense to begin with. That’s why, over the years, I think we’ve really refined the process.

“But we have such great wrestlers that 99.9% of the time I always think everything they do is awesome, and I agree with the choices they make.

“But sometimes there’s stuff that seems like it’s pushing it, and absolutely the chances that the wrestlers take on pay-per-views or a big night like Blood & Guts, they sacrifice and they do so much, and that’s what makes pro-wrestling so great, is you have wrestlers that are willing to sacrifice their bodies for the fans with no off-season, 52 weeks a year, and then push it even further under these kinds of circumstances.

“Everybody on the AEW Blood & Guts show in particular really set a great example of that. And also thankfully, everybody’s come out of it okay. It has the potential to be a career-ending match with its hard-hitting situation, but thankfully everybody’s good.”

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Khan also spoke specifically about Darby Allin and the chances he takes, saying:

“I think he’s really a brilliant wrestler, and also, he takes these chances, and I think normally they’re very calculated chances.

“The one that I thought was too far, and I would say this to him, and have said this to him 100 times, is in Sting’s last match with the glass in Greensboro off the ladder through the glass. That was so much.

“That was the one where I thought maybe it was too much, and it wasn’t exactly the way it was described – it was pretty brutal.

“That was the one after where I said, ‘I think you’re so brilliant about these chances, but this is the first time ever where I thought probably it was too much.’

“But it was also the greatest night in the history of the promotion, and he took a huge risk, and it worked out.”

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Khan was also asked about what Allin has to do to make it to the very top level of AEW. He replied:

“I think he’s absolutely already one of the main faces of the promotion. I’ve always felt really strong about Darby. Darby is one of our top wrestlers.

“He’s been with AEW since the very first show, really it was our first summer of events where Darby came in. He’s an impressive person inside and outside the ring. The chances he takes inside the ring are only matched by the chances he’ll take outside the ring.

“He’s an absolutely crazy stuntman, he takes insane risks. But he also really loves wrestling. He’s a great professional. I absolutely think he’s already one of the main faces of the promotion.

“He has not been the World Champion in singles yet, but he’s been the TNT Champion and a huge important face of our media rights partnership, but also as World Tag Team Champion, he was undefeated with Sting, and Sting’s run in AEW was one of my favorite things we’ve ever done.”

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