AEW is where the best wrestle, and that’s not just a tagline to Tony Khan; that’s the standard.
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan recently sat down with Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated. When asked if he would welcome more veterans onto the roster who don’t fit the same in-ring profile as an FTR or a Will Ospreay to help enhance the product, a fascinating back-and-forth takes place between the two men.
Tony Khan: What do you mean by don’t meet the in-ring standard of Ospreay or FTR?
Jon Alba: When I say this, I say this respectfully to some other performers out there. You know, maybe someone like a John Cena, who is turning 50 years old, is retiring because he can’t meet the physicality of it anymore. There’s other performers out there like that —
Tony Khan: I would just like it to be known that you are the one who said that. I never said that.
Jon Alba: Oh no. At no point have you said this. This is me saying this, editorially. So what I’m saying is, would you welcome in veterans who carry that equity from years and years in the industry, who are on the last stage of their career, to work more independently with some of the young uprising talent here in AEW, as you’ve done in the past with Darby Allin and Sting, and the likes of that?
Tony Khan: Well, Sting wrestled at a very high level. Again, I would never say that Sting was not wrestling at the level of the top stars in AEW. Sting wrestled at the highest level. And I think if somebody comes into AEW, you expect them to wrestle at a high level.
Jon Alba: So that is the standard?
Tony Khan: Wrestling at a high level is the standard. I never brought in wrestlers that I didn’t think would meet the expectations of the AEW fans. Sting came in here, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and was in great shape and said, I want to wrestle, and I really want to do this. And I thought that Darby Allin was a perfect partner for them. Really introduced the two of them, and they built a bond that became so strong in and out of the ring. And Darby Allin is somebody that exemplifies in-ring standards of AEW and goes above and beyond anything I would ever ask. And he brought that same mentality to Sting. We saw Sting, taking chances, doing incredible things.
Tony Khan compares wrestling to movies
Khan would go on to compare professional wrestling to movies and how different genres of style can all be considered great.
“With most personal opinions in wrestling, what’s a great match is absolutely subjective,” Tony Khan continued. “A lot like movies. A great movie, it can be subjective. I do think The Godfather is one of the greatest movies ever. I have friends that don’t love The Godfather, and that’s their opinion, and they’re entitled to that. With Sting, I think Sting is one of the greatest wrestlers. He was still in great shape, and Darby Allin found great ways to work with Sting as a partner, where they would have great matches and great success as a team.
“So if the situation’s right, and somebody is a truly great wrestler, then AEW is a great home for them. Not everybody has to wrestle the exact same style. Nobody said Sting needs to go out there and try to be Will Ospreay. I just wanted him to go out and do the best he could as Sting. And he did more than anyone could have imagined. He went above and beyond what anybody would have thought at the beginning. But I think I’d be remiss if I allow the belief that I don’t think Sting was of the highest standards.”
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What do you make of Tony Khan’s overall comments? Do you understand his mindset when it comes to what he’s looking for in terms of the AEW roster? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit Sports Illustrated with a link to this article for the transcription.
