AEW personality reportedly has "heavy heat" within the company after recent events
Recent reports have shed light on an individual apparently having a lot of heat on him, which was further enhanced by a recent AEW match he was involved in.
The individual in question is Rick Knox. For those unaware, Rick is one of the seven referees in the Jacksonville-based promotion. He was recently involved in a match between Jon Moxley and Rey Fenix.
While the bout seemed to be going as planned, a few lazy moves from Moxley had fans and officials suspecting an injury had occurred. An audible was called, which saw Fenix winning and becoming the new international champion.
During the match, however, the handling by Rick Knox in the critical moment was heavily condemned by fans. A miscount on the pinfall forced Rey Fenix to hit his finisher again, to an already injured Moxley.
According to a recent report by Fightful Select, Knox has severe heat backstage. The talent contacted stated despite Knox being generally liked, the heat was due to this type of incident that has happened in the past as well.
Jim Cornette believes the AEW referee should be fined
Apart from fans being upset at the botch by Rick Knox, wrestling veteran Jim Cornette has also blamed him partially for the incident.
Speaking on an episode of Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru, the wrestling veteran stated:
"Let’s talk about the referee first: he’s an idiot. In this case, referees in wrestling school are taught ‘count it like a shoot.’ God d**nit fine the referee! If a guy doesn’t kick out, if [the referee] doesn’t count it, f**k it, I don’t care if that’s the finish, the heat went on the talent for not kicking out unless they were knocked out. But the referee not counting, you can blame." [From 05:14 onward]
As of now, it remains to be seen what is in store for the AEW referee.