"We've been stacking the roster" - Tony Khan comments on AEW making multiple big signings in recent weeks
AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed the fact that he's signed multiple wrestlers in a short amount of time. Khan recently picked up major former WWE stars alongside the likes of Swerve Strickland and Toni Storm.
AEW has long since received criticism from fans and even wrestlers for the number of former WWE stars on their roster. The overall size of the roster has also been a point of contention.
During an appearance on Barstool Rasslin', Khan explained that he has been stacking the roster to make the company even stronger.
"We’ve been stacking the roster up just in recent weeks, Samoa Joe, Toni Storm, Jeff Hardy, Swerve Strickland have all come in," said Khan. "Keith Lee right before that! So our show is getting deeper and stronger and that’s only a few months after we added the 'big batch' with CM Punk, Adam Cole, Ruby Soho, Brian Danielson. And that followed by another wave of wrestlers with Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black." (34:30)
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While AEW's roster is currently filled with over 100 stars, Tony Khan still seems to be planning big changes for the promotion going forward. The roster is likely in for a shakeup, as many contracts will expire without renewal, and other stars could go over to ROH.
Tony Khan noted that he had a pleasant meeting with Swerve Strickland
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Swerve Strickland is probably one of the biggest fan-favorites that Khan has picked up from WWE over the past few months. The former NXT North American Champion has a major following, both in the wrestling world and outside of it.
During the same interview, the AEW President was asked about his meeting with Swerve. He recalled how he asked the new signing about his catchphrase.
"I did try to make that a big prominent part of his presentation," said Khan. "But you know [it] was a very pleasant meeting, he wasn’t using catchphrases and stuff. You know I had a cup of coffee with him, he’s a really nice guy." (35:00)
Strickland might just have a bright future in AEW, as he has been featured on AEW Rampage recently. Regardless of the criticism, Tony Khan seems to know exactly who will benefit AEW the most.
Please credit Barstool Rasslin' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.