Tony Khan is asked about women’s wrestling, gives the most tone deaf answer possible

AEW President Tony Khan took questions from the media today ahead of this Saturday night’s (Nov. 13) Full Gear pay-per-view. Among the topics discussed were the fact that he still hasn’t spoken to Bray Wyatt despite the 90 day non-compete clause being up, how he hopes to bring Double or Nothing 2022 back to Las Vegas, and as far as the soon-to-be-released ROH roster is concerned, you never know who might just show up on AEW programming.

The one answer I want to hone in on though is Khan’s response when he was asked about AEW potentially doing an all women’s event. For some context here, it’s important to know that NWA ran an all women’s event named Empowerrr in August, and Impact ran an all women’s event named Knockouts Knockdown in October.

Here’s the question Khan received today from Ella Jay of SEScoops:

“The bar I think has been really raised this year with a lot of all women’s shows and main events taking place, but does AEW have any plans or hopes to contribute maybe an all women’s event of their own some time...”

The reason the question isn’t finished is because Tony gets extremely defensive and cuts her off between the word “some” and “time” while she is asking the question. He cuts her off with the most tone deaf answer fathomable:

“I’m gonna cut off your question right there because I don’t think I get enough credit for what I did for the NWA show, because a good number of the people who wrestled on the NWA show were wrestlers I sent and paid. So I do think I contributed because the highest paid wrestlers on that show were actually the people I paid separately from what they already make in AEW to go wrestle on that show. And I don’t think they did a very good job of telling people that, honestly, even though it was in the deal we did. I wish they told more people that because it was one of the points I made when we closed it, was I think it would be nice if you told people that I’m paying the wrestlers coming, because it is a big contribution from me...So I did pay the wrestlers for that show. It’s kind of like when you pay for a dinner and nobody thanks you.”

My goodness. Let all of that sink in. Those are words Tony Khan actually used to answer a question about women’s wrestling.

Tony Khan, please go back and read your own words transcribed above. If you don’t think you sound like an insecure insufferable douchebag, then allow a common person like me to translate what the crap that you just spewed out of your mouth sounds like to my ears:

‘Me Me Me blah blah blah My Money I’m The Money Guy Talk About Me More blah blah blah I Deserve More Credit I’m The One Who Paid For Dinner blah blah blah I Am The Best At Women’s Wrestling Contributing blah blah blah Fuck Them It’s All About Me I’m Super Awesome And Do Money blah blah blah It’s So Many Inches Long blah blah blah Me Me Me Money Money Money Talk More About Me And My Money’

That’s what you sound like, Tony Khan. What the hell is wrong with you?

Khan follows up by hyping Ruby Soho, Thunder Rosa, and the TBS Championship tournament. But of course he can’t help himself and closes by once again making it all about his financial contributions to other companies’ all women’s wrestling shows:

“So I have been and am trying to actively make big strides in women’s wrestling. And as far as a lot of the stuff that has been happening in the all women’s shows that have been happening in other places, I actually have made great contributions, including financial contributions, which I think they could have done a better job of telling people about, honestly.”

If Tony actually gave Ella a few more seconds to complete her question, it would be apparent that she wasn’t downplaying his contributions to women’s wrestling in 2021. No, she was simply asking if he had plans for an AEW all women’s event. The answer to that question must be no, because Khan cuts her off and gets strangely super defensive about it. He wouldn’t have to be so worried about receiving more public recognition about his contributions to women’s wrestling if his own product reflected that it’s a top priority.

I think AEW’s women’s division has great potential and I’m optimistic about where it will go in the future. But Tony Khan’s head is so firmly planted up his own ass with the above response that now I have to reconsider that position. This man just took a question about an all women’s wrestling event and made it all about him and his money and how not enough people are giving him credit for how awesome he is. He even talks about receiving this recognition like it’s part of the terms of negotiation with other companies. That’s kind of sad and pathetic. It’s the most tone deaf answer possible.