AEW Nail Bat Spot Didn’t Attract New Fans Despite Tony Khan’s Statement

Tony Khan is standing by the now-infamous nail bat spot from Jon Moxley’s brutal AEW Dynamite match against Adam Copeland—but not everyone’s convinced it moved the needle like he claims.

Khan recently appeared on the Way Of The Blade podcast and doubled down on the March 19 moment where Moxley was suplexed onto Cope’s barbed wire bat, Spike. “When Mox had the spike bat in his back, that was a great wrestling moment,” Khan said. “It was memorable, it helped drive box office for us… It went viral. It’s one of the most-watched videos of the year in AEW.” He also credited it with pulling in casual fans, saying it “made new fans and created interest. It was on TMZ.”

But in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wasn’t sold on that narrative. While he acknowledged the match between Moxley and Copeland pulled the highest 18–49 demo rating of the year, he attributed that to the fact it was a street fight featuring two major stars—not the nail bat stunt.

“I don’t see any evidence it drove box office business,” Meltzer wrote. “It did the highest 18-49 rating, but that was because it was a world title match… not because of the spot. Nobody knew about the spot.” He admitted it “did do strong YouTube numbers” but brushed it off as a “freak show thing”—not a long-term fan engagement driver.

While Moxley’s next title defense is set for May 14 at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break against Samoa Joe, it’s clear the debate over AEW’s creative direction—especially when it comes to shock value—rages on.

Love it or hate it, AEW isn’t shying away from wild, bloody moments—and Tony Khan clearly thinks those moments are paying off. But with Dave Meltzer throwing cold water on those claims, it raises real questions about what’s actually drawing in fans versus what’s just going viral for the sake of it. Either way, Moxley’s back may have healed, but this debate definitely hasn’t.