D-Von Dudley Says Tony Khan Isn’t the Right Booker for AEW Despite Financial Support

D-Von Dudley is no stranger to speaking his mind, and in a recent episode of The Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, he made it clear that AEW’s real issue isn’t talent — it’s Tony Khan’s creative leadership.

The WWE Hall of Famer didn’t go in looking for a fight, but once the topic came up, he didn’t hold back. While D-Von praised Khan for financially supporting his roster, he had serious doubts about Khan’s ability to book the product in a way that elevates AEW to the next level.

“I’ve never buried the man [Tony Khan]. I’ve sat there and said I’ve got no gripes with him. I’ve got no hard feelings.”

But D-Von followed that up with a pointed shot at Khan’s creative vision:

“I just don’t think he’s the right booker for the company — even though he’s the guy that financially takes care of everybody. Listen, Dixie Carter financially took care of everybody in TNA at the time — but she wasn’t a booker.”

Instead, D-Von believes Khan should surround himself with more experienced minds who understand how to build stars and tell compelling stories:

“And I’ve always said: get somebody that can come in and help you book instead of the people you have surrounding you.”

He went on to praise AEW’s in-ring talent, putting the blame squarely on how they’re being utilized:

“I’ll always put the company over in terms of talent. I think the talent is great there. But it’s not the talent’s fault if the ratings or the houses aren’t up.”

Then he dropped a comparison that’ll sting for AEW fans:

“I can imagine if WWE had every single one of the AEW talents they have right now — oh yeah, that place would be unstoppable. NXT would be unstoppable.”

Podcast host Duke didn’t miss the opportunity to dig deeper, pointing to how AEW has failed to capitalize on names that could be major draws if handled right.

“Look at Ethan Page. Look at Blake Monroe. Look at Cody coming back. I can go down the list. Look at them. Look at Penta.”

And then came the mic-drop moment: a stat about Penta El Zero Miedo’s potential that AEW isn’t tapping into.

“Penta made over a million dollars just selling masks alone during WrestleMania weekend. Just selling masks, he made that off merch. He never had a check like that from AEW — not a merch check. Give me a break.”

For D-Von and Duke, the problem isn’t that AEW doesn’t have the stars — it’s that the company has no idea what to do with them. AEW’s roster is stacked, but if Tony Khan won’t bring in creative minds to unlock that potential, they’re destined to keep spinning their wheels. The message from D-Von is clear: talent can only shine when the lights are turned on the right way.

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