Tony Khan Defends Decision to Air AEW All in Footage

During a thrilling week in wrestling, AEW’s April 10th episode of Dynamite provided viewers with an exclusive glimpse into the behind-the-scenes aspects of the All-In event. This captivating footage was shared by The Young Bucks. In fact, it appears AEW President Tony Khan expressed no regrets about airing the footage on the show.

The footage exposed a tense altercation between Jack Perry and CM Punk, which escalated to a confrontation where Punk aggressively shoved Perry. This intense moment led to chaos backstage, and it took the intervention of Samoa Joe and other AEW staff members to restore order and calm the situation.

The release of this footage sparked widespread discussion across social media platforms. However, the story took an unexpected turn when AEW took proactive measures to remove the All-In backstage altercation from all digital platforms.

During his appearance on The Chris Russell Show, Tony Khan discussed his decision to air the behind-the-scenes footage from AEW’s All In event and how it related to the upcoming match between The Young Bucks and FTR at AEW Dynasty. Khan stated that the footage made sense to air given the context of the ongoing storyline.

Khan highlighted the significance of the fourth chapter in the FTR vs. Young Bucks feud, which would take place at AEW Dynasty. The match is for the World Tag Team Championships and is seen as a highly anticipated showdown between two of the greatest tag teams in wrestling.

“I think it made a lot of sense. First of all, the Young Bucks-FTR ladder match is coming up at AEW Dynasty for the World Tag Team Championships. This is the fourth chapter in FTR-Young Bucks. I believe they are the two greatest tag teams in wrestling, the two best on the planet. The last time they wrestled, Young Bucks-FTR 3, was at Wembley Stadium, AEW All In. A lot happened that day. Those guys at one point, they were the third match on the pay-per-view, and at one point, it looked like we were going to have to call them up and they were going to have to wrestle the first match.” 

Khan mentioned that the Young Bucks blamed their loss to FTR at Wembley Stadium on the chaotic events of the day, including their mental state and the stress they experienced. This loss and the surrounding circumstances played a role in the Young Bucks’ change in attitude and refusal to shake hands with FTR.

”They ended up going on in the spot they were in, but the Young Bucks said the whole day, everything that happened, it affected their mental preparation, they weren’t able to pray before the match, they were very stressed out. They slipped on the banana peel, lost the match, and they blame FTR and what happened at Wembley Stadium. In hindsight, that’s why they refused to shake FTR’s hands. We’ve seen the Young Bucks change a lot. We saw them get really dark during the retirement run of Sting. They’ve only gotten darker and more twisted. That’s why they felt like they should play the tape.”

The footage also highlighted an altercation between Jack Perry and CM Punk, which Khan found fascinating. He noted how Perry received a superstar reaction from the crowd in Chicago, indicating his rising status in wrestling.

” It was fascinating to see after the tape played, the reaction Jack Perry got at New Japan. He got the reaction of a superstar. That is not altogether unexpected and it’s something very interesting, perhaps a side effect of this, Jack Perry already a big star in wrestling, really the way the crowd connected with him in Chicago, that was interesting. It leaves a lot of intriguing going into AEW Dynamite and AEW Dynasty.”

AEW’s backstage reaction to airing the All In footage was revealed as well. Even Tony Khan was heavily criticized for this move and Eric Bischoff clowned AEW for the same. Nonetheless, many believe that airing the footage did more harm than good to AEW.

Do you agree with Tony Khan’s point of view when it comes to releasing the All In footage? Let us know in the comments section below!