An emotional 44-year-old star reacts to AEW's epic birthday surprise: "Thank you very much, Tony Khan"
Tony Khan often goes the extra mile to make sure his AEW roster feels important and appreciated. That was evident when the likes of Adam Copeland and Ric Flair set foot in the promotion. And it looks like Khan left no stone unturned in celebrating the birthday of another member of the roster, Katsuyori Shibata.
The recently-turned 44-year-old got to celebrate his birthday in front of the AEW audience and with Tony Khan by his side as well. Seemingly, Shibata was touched enough to post about it on social media.
"Best birthday I ever had. Thank you very much, Tony Khan. Thank you very much, OC. Thank you, AEW."
Check out the post below:
It's always heartening to see a professional wrestler who is happy where he is, and all credit goes to the president of the company, Tony Khan, for making this possible.
Shibata made his wrestling debut in 1999 for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was with the company until 2005 and then went on to compete on the independent circuit. He joined the Jacksonville-based company in 2022 and has been competing in the Tony Khan-led promotion and ROH since then. This gesture from Khan goes to show that he does have the acumen that's needed to run a business that includes handling some of the most talented athletes in the world.
Tony Khan's business acumen allowed AEW to earn a six-figure sum from a single match
This week, AEW Collision had a special street fight that featured Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi and Paul Wight pitted against the Don Callis family along with Brian Cage. The intense match saw several out-of-the-box spots, including some involving a bicycle, but what was most notable was that the bout also earned a six-figure amount.
Khan has earlier worked on a similar promotional concept for a death match, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Death Match, that was presented on an episode of Dynamite. That particular match was sponsored by the game going by the same name.
What do you think about Tony Khan's handling of his roster? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.