"It was a factual statement" - AEW executive explains what he really meant in his tweet following Vince McMahon's WWE retirement
AEW President Tony Khan recently clarified his tweet about being the "longest-tenured" CEO in pro wrestling following Vince McMahon's WWE retirement.
McMahon announced his retirement last Friday at 4:05 pm amidst investigations surrounding his alleged misconduct controversy. The 76-year-old's exit from the company sent shockwaves through the entire wrestling community, especially on social media.
Meanwhile, Khan responded to the statement, saying he's now the "longest-tenured CEO" in pro wrestling, which quickly drew mixed reactions. Speaking at the ROH Death Before Dishonor media scrum, the AEW President explained that his tweet was about Rampage.
He also dubbed himself NJPW's Takami Ohbari and WWE's new CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as the "Big Three." He further emphasized that he's the most tenured executive among them.
"I was referencing AEW Rampage is on and just a fact. Of the big, major companies, of what I would consider The Big Three, I am the longest tenured. [NJPW President Takami] Ohbari and now there is a new CEO there [in WWE]. If you consider it pro wrestling, then I think it's a fair statement. I thought it was a factual statement, a note to promote Rampage, but that's all it was."
He added that the aforementioned tweet was to promote Rampage:
"I can't say anything else about it. I hopefully, maybe got some eyeballs on Rampage and I really care about Rampage a lot," Khan said. [H/T Fightful]
Check out the media scrum below:
Khan also mentioned that he wanted to see AEW and ROH stars slug it out and use the weekly shows to build up to Death Before Dishonor.
Check out the results of ROH Death Before Dishonor here.
Dave Meltzer recently speculated that AEW President Tony Khan might buy WWE
In light of Vince McMahon's retirement, people were curious if Tony Khan would make a move to acquire the sports entertainment juggernaut.
During an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer questioned whether Khan had enough finances and contacts to potentially purchase the Stamford-based company.
"Tony himself on this day does not have the money to buy, but would he have the contacts to put a proposal together? Would he want to do it? I think he would want to, but could he pull it off?" I don’t rule that one out either. But it’s not like if Tony goes in there and goes ‘you know what, I want to own both top companies’ and he gets the right contacts, partners and capital, there’s not going to be a thing in WWE where they go ‘he started the opposition, we’re never going to sell to him.’"
Tony Khan on RAW after he buys WWE from Vince McMahon https://t.co/dvU50rPEld
It would be interesting to see if Tony Khan could strike a potential deal to buy the Stamford-based promotion in the future.
What are your thoughts on Tony Khan's explanation for his tweet following Vince McMahon's retirement from WWE? Sound off in the comments section below.