"You've totally lied to these guys" – WWE veteran accuses Tony Khan of betraying AEW's EVPs
Vince Russo recently slammed Tony Khan for taking away creative and booking powers from AEW's Executive Vice Presidents.
When AEW came into existence, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks were named EVPs. Three years down the line, while Cody's no longer with AEW, Omega & The Young Bucks have seen their creative powers diminish, as per reports.
In a chat with Lucha Libre Online, Vince Russo speculated Cody's decision to leave AEW might've been due to creative powers taken away from him. The former WCW Champion blasted Khan for lying to Cody, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks as he promised them booking duties:
"I saw this Cody thing coming from a mile away. I guarantee you Tony Khan was entirely taken by surprise. You told these four guys (Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega) that they were running the creative end of things, and you were gonna just sit back and be the money guy and make the decisions. All of a sudden, bro, you're going into every interview, touting yourself as head of the creative, head writer. Bro, when push comes to the shove, you've totally lied to these guys." (9:32 - 10:07)
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Vince Russo thinks AEW hiring former WWE stars could backfire
The wrestling veteran also feels that many of AEW's original acquisitions could be unhappy with Tony Khan hiring released WWE stars. Russo added this could affect the backstage atmosphere, with performers taking sides:
"I don't think Tony Khan understands that the more newbies you're gonna bring, the more upset your originals are gonna be. That's going to start the locker room chatter, picking sides, now you've got a mess on your hands. I don't think he even understands that aspect of it." (9:01 - 9:30)
“I don’t think anybody should consider it a foregone conclusion. I do really like Jeff (Hardy) a lot.
I think Jeff is still obligated to another company for at least several more days, but at some point, when Jeff is free & clear, I would love to have Jeff in AEW.”
- Tony Khan https://t.co/f3YdCq5p6x
Over the last few weeks, Tony Khan brought stars like Keith Lee and Buddy Matthews under AEW's umbrella. Moreover, it's heavily speculated that former WWE stars Shane Strickland and Jeff Hardy will soon debut for AEW.
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