All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan courtesy of AEW
Originally published on April 16, 2024
The following content reflects my personal opinion and should be interpreted as such. Any views expressed here are solely mine and do not represent any official stance. This opinion piece is intended for entertainment and discussion purposes only, and should not be construed as factual information or professional advice. Reader discretion is advised.
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Now, this article is in no way a dig at Tony Khan’s ability to run AEW, but rather an observation based on recent actions displayed by him and/or members (or former members) of the AEW roster. And I think we all can agree that AEW is a fantastic wrestling promotion, where the best wrestles. (Which is their new tagline, btw.) However, if you believe that AEW won’t get just a tad bit better if Khan would take a breather for a hot minute and lets someone with a bit less emotional investment and more ‘experience’ take the reins, well, there is a reason why there are fans who understands the business and fans who should just enjoy the business.
During a recent episode of Vince Russo’s podcast, ‘Vince Russo The Brand,’ esteemed wrestling figure and WWE Hall of Famer, Al Snow, engaged in a candid discussion about the recent wrestling news. At some point during the conversation, the focal point turned towards the now-infamous incident of CM Punk and Jack Perry, which was captured on surveillance tape during the ‘All In’ event last year. Snow articulated the adverse impact of wrestlers’ “shooting” on live air, ensuring that it cannot only have detrimental effects on the wrestling brand but on the entire wrestling industry. However, it caught my attention that while making his point, he also blamed wrestling reporters and journalists as the ones fanning the flames and that was where I became a bit… perplexed.
Where has this preoccupation with a ‘shoot’ come into being? Why? People don’t want a shoot, Vince [Russo]. They don’t. They want to be entertained. And they are not privy to it being a shoot or not. Yes, we always for years-decades used a part of the truth that we knew, that allowed us to convey real emotion when we were speaking. Or behavior or body language when we were in the ring-working. What is this preoccupation with all of you, that you now want to ‘blur the lines’ and it’s going to be a shoot? Nobody knows that but us [wrestlers] and the people we shared it with, which apparently are all of the rest of the ‘smart’ mark internet world-yet you all rail against, those people now have an opinion about stuff they wouldn’t even know about if everyone would just stop ‘shooting’ all of the time.
I do agree with Snow that it is bad practice to air out issues and conflicts that are happening behind the scenes at these wrestling companies. I believe that fans shouldn’t have access to all the details of personal beefs because a) once it hits the internet, it is there forever, and b) fans can not be unbiased, at all. It has led to countless tribalistic discussions and internet keyboard wars. However, Snow connected the behavior of wrestlers to the practice of wrestling companies permitting journalists and reporters at press conferences and scrums—whose job is to report what they hear and what they’ve learned—with journalistic integrity, of course.
This all started from day one — because of what? Because ‘let’s pull back the curtains wide open. Let’s let these “journalists” have these “scrums,”’ you know? And that created a platform that allowed [CM] Punk to vent a lot of aggravation and frustration. It did not make the company look well on a night that it should have been about the company. And then what do we do? We compound the mistake by now again, airing our dirty laundry in public and allowing the public — with a video that has no audio.
Now, I get where Snow is coming from. When reporters and journalists become a part of an issue that should ideally be handled and remain private— the stories are always subjected to be biased or just flat-out wrong. I can only assume that Snow feels that the information presented to us can be twisted or sensationalized to whatever standard (or lack thereof) that the reporter/journalist chooses, which is entirely plausible. However, speaking as a journalist myself, I stand on the fact that our responsibilities extend beyond just reporting on a story. It is our job to investigate the situations presented to us. And yes, this can lead to many more things being brought to light.
But with every action, there are consequences and when there are no consequences, there is mayhem and chaos. This circles back to my point of why I believe that Khan should take a step back and let someone take the reins for a while. Punk should have never felt comfortable speaking publicly about his issues and grievances concerning The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, and everything else that was occurring behind the scenes. Similarly, Page shouldn’t have felt comfortable shooting on Punk on live TV or addressing it publicly elsewhere. Yet, they did so because they never faced any repercussions for such actions, at least not at the hands of Khan. He fails to demonstrate any real authority in enforcing discipline; his wrestlers don’t fear him or the potential consequences of going off-script. And that’s a major problem.
What Al Snow said was spot-on—we fans wouldn’t have any knowledge of who dislikes who, and who hates the other if it wasn’t aired out for the world to see, judge, and form opinions on. While WWE has its own track record of shoots, like Punk’s infamous pipe bomb promo in 2011, it has seemingly become a clickbait ratings tactic with AEW, or maybe the wrestlers just don’t give a fuck. And honestly, how is that not an issue?
A solution is desperately needed when it comes down to the trend of airing out dirty laundry. A clear disciplinary plan should be enforced among the wrestlers to ensure that in-house conflicts are resolved internally. Whether that is docking pay, implementing hefty fines, enforcing NDAs, suspending wrestlers for lengthy periods, or resurrecting wrestling court (for those unfamiliar, I recommend reading Brian Gewirtz’s book, where he discusses wrestlers resolving private matters privately). Actions need to be taken, and if Khan is unable to make the necessary changes, perhaps it’s time for someone else to step in.
Take a look at Al Snow’s take on wrestlers “shooting” down below.
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