Tony Khan compares AEW commentators to wisecracking Muppets

Sometimes Sundays can be a little slow. With that in mind, there’s never a bad time for a good Muppets comparison. Leave it to Tony Khan to light the fuse and bring the boom.

In response to a GIF of wisecracking Muppet duo Statler and Waldorf, Khan mentioned having to explain the characters to AEW’s young crew of lads as he compared them to Excalibur and Taz.

For reference, the lads in question might be Hook, Anthony Bowens, Dante Martin, and Darius Martin. I’m not sure if The Lads is a nickname specifically for them or just a general term used by Khan.

Back to the comparison, I think Khan has it spot on. Excalibur and Taz dial it down a little for TV, but they are a hoot when calling Dark. More often than not, the pair are yucking it up with witty banter that is usually relevant to the competitors in the ring. One critical aspect that makes Excalibur and Taz better than Statler and Waldorf is how they don’t come from a position of malice. Statler and Waldorf can be jerks at times. Excalibur and Taz are more on the jovial side having fun. That spirit is part of what makes them the best professional wrestling commentary duo going today, in my opinion.

Why stop there? Let’s have some fun and take it a bit further by running down comparisons of AEW wrestlers to the rest of the Muppet characters.

Starting at the top, Cody Rhodes is Kermit. Both are at the top of their productions trying to continue chugging along as the little engine that could. Funny enough, Cody and Kermit actually have history when Cody placed a bag over Kermit’s head while guest hosting Raw in WWE.

If Cody is Kermit, then naturally that makes Brandi as Miss Piggy. Aside from the love connection, it also fits her wrestling character as boss hog. Much like Piggy, Brandi also packs a punch when angry.

Fozzie Bear reminds me of Chris Jericho. The similarity of Fozzie to Fozzy aside, both are always aiming to entertain. Unfortunately, they can be prone to bad jokes, like Jericho calling Dan Lambert a fat-faced dipshit. Fozzie and Jericho also wear hats when they mean business, as evidenced to Fozzie on stage and Le Champion as the Painmaker.

Darby Allin is always experimenting as a work in progress. Whenever he comes up short, he hits the lab to improve his skills for the future. Allin is a bit of a mad scientist, if you will. The scientist part falls in line with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. That would mean Sting is Beaker. Meep, meep.

For Gonzo, he shares similar traits to the cowboy shit mantra. Gonzo is a dreamer trying to reach the top. No matter how many times Gonzo fails, he gets up and tries again. Hangman Page’s quest for the AEW World Championship has followed a similar pattern. Is this comparison a stretch? Yes, but it is better than picking whoever has the largest nose on the AEW roster.

Dark Order are the house band, with John Silver in particular as Animal. Pentagon is the Swedish Chef cooking up violence. Sweetums and Lance Archer are both misunderstood ogres. Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and Adam Cole would be the evil humans trying to shut down Muppet capers.

What’s your take on Tony Khan’s Statler and Waldorf comparison? Which wrestlers do you see matching up as Muppet characters?