AEW News Roundup: Tony Khan concerned about stars leaving for WWE, wrestling legend details his odd relationship with Triple H (05th August 2022)
AEW is currently under a ton of pressure from fans to up the quality of their shows after Triple H firmly stepped into the Head of Creative at WWE. With tensions rising, will All Elite Wrestling be able to go head-to-head with the behemoth wrestling promotion?
Despite this, the promotion continues to power on, and recently had quite an eventful AEW Dynamite. As the promotion builds up to Battle of the Belts III, let's break down three of this week's top stories in today's AEW News Roundup.
#3 Wrestling legend, William Regal, recently detailed his odd relationship with Triple H while he was with NXT
William Regal was shockingly released from WWE in January 2022, after nearly 22 years with the promotion. Regal then made his AEW debut at Revolution in March 2022, laying the foundations for his Blackpool Combat Club stable.
During the most recent episode of the Gentleman Villain podcast, William Regal spoke on the nature of his relationship with Triple H.
“Me and H don’t have great conversations. The one thing we do have is music. We spent time learning our craft together, and me and him can just look at each other from across an arena, and I know what he wants. When we worked together, I was the last person [he spoke to]."
Regal continued, noting how their relationship was strictly business.
"I probably spoke to him less than anybody else in the entire company. He didn’t need to speak to me. Sometimes I get a one-word text, and I would just take care of it. I knew whatever he meant. That’s how we worked together.” (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
It's currently unclear what Regal's relationship is like with AEW President Tony Khan. However, Khan has been known to generally be more approachable, and as such the two could possibly have a more casual relationship.
#2 Bryan Danielson recalled a time where he was "forced" to do his 'Yes-Chant' despite an injury
Bryan Danielson is considered one of the best to ever lace up the boots by many wrestlers and fans alike. The star's unfortunate forced retirement in 2016 sent shockwaves into the wrestling world, especially since he had only recently snowballed into stardom. Luckily for fans, he eventually recovered and made his in-ring return, before making his AEW debut in 2021.
During his recent appearance on Renee Paquette's podcast, The Sessions, The American Dragon revealed that he didn't always feel the need to do the "Yes-chant."
"I’ve never had the knee-jerk reaction to do the 'yes!' I either purposely did it on my own, thinking that this was really funny and fun, or I was forced to do it," Danielson said.
Despite this, Bryan Danielson still detailed how he was essentially "forced" to do the "Yes-chant" after his win at WrestleMania 30 against Batista and Randy Orton.
"That picture that they have got behind me, that is from the main event of WrestleMania 30 where I have two titles. My neck was in really bad shape and the people at ringside went 'Keep yes-ing! Keep yes-ing!' I was like oh this s*cks." (H/T: Fightful )
Despite being in AEW, The American Dragon still gets "Yes-chants" whenever he gets the upperhand during matches. The "Yes-Movement" will seemingly carry on, whether Danielson wants it to or not.
#1 Tony Khan revealed that he's honestly concerned about some AEW stars possibly leaving for WWE after their shake-up
The formation of AEW back in 2019 revitalized the concept of wrestlers jumping from one promotion to another, much like they did during the 90s when WCW and WWE were 'at war.' While stars were exclusively jumping to Tony Khan's promotion, the departure of Cody Rhodes and Triple H taking over WWE's creative reigns has seemingly changed that.
During an interview on SportsGrid, Tony Khan admitted that it's always been a concern of his that stars would jump over to WWE, but that recent events have enhanced that concern.
"I think that’s always been a concern, but now probably more so than ever, I imagine great wrestlers are going to be in demand. I think this is probably going to be good for the wrestling fans because that’s one of the most exciting things about pro wrestling: free agency," Khan said.
Despite his fears, Tony Khan noted that this is the best thing for the wrestling business.
"I think that’s a good thing. AEW’s got a big fan base. And the competition is going to change. It’s a different person in the chair, opposite me, but I don’t think that’s going to be a bad thing for the wrestling fans necessarily," he added. (H/T: Wrestling Inc)
It remains to be seen just how much WWE's change in management will affect AEW and the wrestling industry. But, as Khan pointed out, competition is good for the industry and will likely make things more exciting going forward.