Over the last several months, AEW has come under fire from some corners of the wrestling world for not having enough storytelling, and Tony Khan isn't having it. The company's co-founder and owner is never shy about sticking up for his booking and how things unfold on Dynamite and Rampage. He pokes back when he gets poked in the chest, which makes him such an entertaining interview. When Khan has a mic in front of him, he will speak his mind, hell or high water.
During his weekly stop at Busted Open Radio, he was asked about the perception that not enough AEW matches have enough build-up or story. "I've noticed that things have changed a lot in the perception of how a wrestling card is built over the years. Now there's this perception, I think because this is the way people have seen it done for most of the last 20 years, to some extent it has become an industry standard if only for lack of competition." Tony Khan continued, stating that "there's this perception that every match on every show should have a long storyline built on why it takes place. It doesn't necessarily need to be the case for every single match." Khan stated that he felt that former WCW executive Eric Bischoff is to blame for this narrative, calling his standpoint "contradictory and hypocritical." (h/t and a thank you to Paul Davis at WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.)
Tony Khan Will Always Believe In His Vision For AEW
Anyone surprised by Tony Khan's comments on Eric Bischoff hasn't been paying attention as 2022 has unfolded. The 40-year-old has come into his own in terms of how he speaks to the media since All Out, and he's much less willing to let certain things slide off his back. The notion that AEW has been light on storytelling this summer is one thing, in particular, that Tony Khan has pushed back on recently.
That's likely because, by and large, what unfolds on Dynamite and Rampage comes straight from his brain. Veterans like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson have a certain amount of sway backstage, but only one person rubber stamping matches and finishes, and it's Tony Khan. So it's only natural for him to be defensive when someone like Bischoff tries to say that there aren't enough ongoing stories in AEW.
The 83 Weeks podcast host might be one of the loudest supporters of this idea, but he's far from alone. Fans have noticed some flimsy match logic over the last few months and are becoming more vocal on Twitter. Meanwhile, Tony Khan makes a fair point when he implies that WWE might have conditioned audiences over the last two decades to expect certain things from wrestling. AEW isn't here to be a WWE clone. The goal has always been to create a viable alternative, and that's the direction Khan will continue to steer this ship as 2022 comes to a close.
Sources: Busted Open Radio, WrestlingNews.co