"He books things that he wants to see.” - WWE Hall of Famer on Tony Khan not doing a DQ finish in AEW
AEW rarely does non-decisive finishes like count-outs or disqualifications. Hence, it was no surprise to learn that Tony Khan talked a wrestler out of wanting to do a disqualification finish, according to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
According to the iconic commentator, a talent approached Tony Khan to pitch an idea for a finish that didn't involve a pinfall or a submission. However, the Jaguars boss convinced the talent otherwise.
"There's a lot of differences. I don't do really cheap DQ finishes to prolong something.
There are other wrestling programs where you might see multiple DQs and countouts in a week.
I believe in giving the fans a finish to the match.”
- Tony Khan on AEW’s differences from WWE https://t.co/RJ7HFyfsCs
Speaking on his Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross said that disqualification finishes don't benefit anyone and that he cannot imagine Tony Khan doing a "wrestling skit" in AEW.
“I don’t envision Tony ever doing a wrestling skit,” Ross said. “He books things that he wants to see. As long as he’s still as big of a fan as he is. We made a big deal the other day about having a count-out or a DQ [to finish a match] and I admire that we stood our ground, why do we change? Do we really believe that in 2022 that a DQ will salvage the face of the guy losing? It’s silly, isn’t it?” (H/T: WrestlingInc)
There have been two DQ finishes in AEW in 2022
Congratulations Captain @ShawnDean773 on your win over @The_MJF on #AEWDynamite! Captain joins a short list of few wrestlers to hold a win over MJF in @AEW history. Captain also became the 1st wrestler in 140 episodes of AEW TV (118 Dynamite/22 Rampage) to ever win a match via DQ
Shawn Dean became the first man in AEW television history to ever win a match via DQ. This happened on Dynamite when CM Punk delivered a Go To Sleep to the Captain immediately after the latter's match against MJF started, causing a disqualification.
This was a great moment as MJF started 2022 with a 0-1 loss, and it added to the rivalry between MJF and CM Punk, with the former's sense of pride and ego getting hurt.
The second disqualification finish took place when Mercedes Martinez took on Thunder Rosa on AEW dynamite. The former WWE star attacked the former NWA Women's Champion by hitting her with a lead pipe, causing the disqualification.
This led to a rematch between the two women a week later in a No Disqualification match, which the Mexican star won.
What do you make of Tony Khan's reluctance to book DQ finishes? Let us know in the comments section below.