Jonathan Coachman isn’t buying Tony Khan’s explanation for why the Hurt Syndicate have barely been around AEW lately. In fact, he thinks Khan talking about the group like they can randomly show up whenever they want is pretty ridiculous when he’s the guy booking the show.
Speaking on Two Count Tuesday, Coachman went after Khan over his recent comments about Bobby Lashley, MVP and Shelton Benjamin’s absence from AEW television. Khan previously described the Hurt Syndicate as “hired guns” who are available for the right price and could show up “any place, any time.” That explanation didn’t sit well with Coachman at all.
Coachman said if Tony Khan’s name wasn’t attached to the comments, he would have assumed they came from a teenager talking about wrestling like everything happening on television was real.
“If you read that statement from Tony Khan and it wasn’t a name attached to it, you would swear it was either a 16-year-old or a young Tony Khan, which is what he is, talking about a show as if it’s real life.”
Coachman’s bigger issue is pretty simple — Khan runs AEW. He books the wrestlers, pays them and ultimately decides whether or not they appear on television, so Coachman doesn’t understand why Khan is acting like the Hurt Syndicate’s appearances are somehow out of his hands.
“Tony, this is a show you put together. These are guys you pay. This is one of the most dynamic threesomes in wrestling, and it’s because of you they’re going through this. It’s because of you they aren’t on the show. So to say you never know when they are gonna show up is ridiculous, because you control where they show up — you’re paying them.”
The Hurt Syndicate haven’t exactly been all over AEW television recently. Their last match came at All In, where they teamed with Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall to defeat Shane Taylor Promotions. Khan addressed their absence during the WrestleDream media call, pointing to the group’s previous involvement at Double or Nothing and All In before leaning into their “for hire” gimmick.
“The Hurt Syndicate and Mick Foley both involved in Double or Nothing, which I thought was one of the best shows of the year, and AEW All In London, one of the best shows of the year. In the ring, the Hurt Syndicate have said they are for hire, so we could see them any place, any time, I think, for the right amount of money.”
Coachman clearly isn’t interested in the storyline explanation. From his perspective, the Hurt Syndicate is one of the strongest acts AEW has, and if Lashley, MVP and Benjamin aren’t being used, the responsibility falls directly on the person running the company.
Do you agree with Jonathan Coachman that Tony Khan should be doing more with the Hurt Syndicate, or do you think keeping them off television for a while could make their return feel bigger? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
