"It's essentially WWE light" - Tony Khan ripped apart for major AEW mistake by former star
Former WWE Superstar Stevie Richards took some shots at AEW President Tony Khan for some of his business decisions over the year. Khan has been doing everything he can to make AEW a great alternative for WWE ever since the inception of his company in 2019.
One of the main things critics like to point out is the number of former WWE Superstars in the All Elite locker room. Some even compared the Jacksonville-based promotion to WCW, which, at one point in the 1990s, was filled with ex-WWE stars.
In an episode of The Stevie Richards Show, the former Hardcore Champion discussed the possibility of AEW bringing Shane McMahon into the fold. Richards was not against the idea although he brought up the number of former WWE stars currently signed by Tony Khan.
"You have more WWE guys than AEW guys in the company right now. It's essentially WWE light. That's why they've always done that comparison to WCW during that time when they were signing a lot of WWF guys at the time," Richards said. [From 01:39 to 01:51]
Check out the video below:
Some of the top names in AEW like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Swerve Strickland, Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, Toni Storm, and Mercedes Mone are all former WWE Superstars.
A former WWE Superstar opens up about his relationship with Tony Khan
Dijak recently left WWE after his contract expired and the company didn't offer him an extension. He's now a free agent and was backstage during the Forbidden Door Pay-Per-View.
In an interview with Forbes, Dijak discussed his relationship with AEW President Tony Khan and stated that there's respect between them. He explained that Khan knows he's interested in working for him although he didn't elaborate if he'll be signing a deal with AEW.
"Nobody. I showed up uninvited [laughs],” Dijak joked when asked who invited him to Forbidden Door. “No, Mojo [Rawley] and Steve [Kaye] both arranged that for me. They have great connections. Steve was there with me, so he brought me along, brought me in. I don’t know if anything needs to be approved by Tony [Khan] specifically or if they just kind of have people going in and out. But I know that Tony has been made aware of my interest, and I know that there’s reciprocal respect if nothing else," Dijak said.
Dijak is well known for his rivalry with Keith Lee during their time on the independent circuit and in NXT. Maybe they could revisit it in AEW if Tony Khan signs the former Retribution member to a contract.
While using any quotes from the first half of this article please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.