"That bridge was burned" - Former WWE star claims Tony Khan was upset with him for going back to Vince McMahon's promotion
According to former WWE Superstar Tino Sabbatelli, Tony Khan was upset with his decision to re-sign with WWE in 2020.
Tino Sabbatelli made appearances on WWE NXT and was with the promotion for nearly five years before being released in April 2020. He then appeared on AEW Dark in July, wrestling a single match against Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta.
This was his only appearance for Tony Khan's promotion. In October, reports surfaced that he had once again signed with WWE. However, the company released him for the second time in June 2021.
During his recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Sabbatelli spoke about his relationship with Tony Khan. According to the former NXT Superstar, he might never be able to return to AEW after upsetting the president:
“That bridge was burned, and I don’t know how. I sent a nice text to Billy Gunn to thank me for the opportunity [after accepting WWE's offer]. But when I got released again, someone reached out to AEW and said to Tony Khan ‘Tino is a free agent and he’s going to be a star.’ Tony said to him [that he] is upset I went back to WWE," Sabbatelli said. (H/T: Chris Van Vliet)
.@TinoSabbatelli returns to #NXTCocoa... https://t.co/rqYSu8NnJr
Unfortunately for the 38-year-old, he might not have many options left to pursue wrestling on a major stage. Sabbatelli could, however, find a home for himself in IMPACT Wrestling or a smaller promotion. Fans of the star will have to follow him closely to see where he ends up next.
Tony Khan rejected a pitch for Tino Sabbatelli to join up with Andrade El Idolo
Andrade El Idolo joined All Elite Wrestling in June 2021. The former NXT Champion is a known friend to Sabbatelli and apparently attempted to get him back into Tony Khan's company.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Sabbatelli revealed that Andrade wanted to bring him into a new faction:
"Three months ago, Andrade approaches me and said that he wanted me to be in a group with him. Me and Andrade have always had a good relationship. He wanted to bring a group like Evolution to AEW. We shot the video and spent the whole day in Miami."
The former NXT Superstar went on to say that Khan rejected the idea, speculating that the AEW President might have still been upset over his decision to re-sign with WWE:
"He texted me back and said ‘Tony Khan likes the idea but no Tino.’ I’m like what do you mean? I would love to sit and talk to Tony, he might have been upset that I had one match and then went back to WWE,” Sabbatelli noted. (H/T: Chris Van Vliet)
For now, Sabbatelli has returned to south Florida and is pursuing other business interests. While his future in pro wrestling is uncertain, there's always a chance the star will end up back in AEW if Andrade continues to advocate for him.