Tony Khan needs to apologize for the future of AEW, says enraged WWE veteran (Exclusive)

It is no secret that AEW has been struggling lately in its competition with WWE. According to wrestling veteran Vince Russo, the first step for Tony Khan right now would be to make an apologetic statement.

The Jacksonville-based promotion emerged as a legitimate competitor to WWE in the late 2010s, capturing the attention of the pro wrestling community. However, many feel that Tony Khan’s tendency to focus on matches much more than storylines, among other reasons, has seemingly caused the company to lose viewers over the years. Rampage recently ended its run as well, in December 2024.

Speaking about the matter on Sportskeeda’s Writing with Russo, Vince Russo shared his belief that both Dave Meltzer and Tony Khan needed to own up to their mistakes and admit that the company needed to improve. He said:

“Meltzer is five years in, and bro, it’s very similar to Tony Khan. If Meltzer would just say, ‘You know what, I was really wrong man, I was really off it.’ And if Tony Khan would just say, Chris, this is all he has to say, ‘We gotta do better.’ That’s it, that’s all you have… Until you say that, nothing is going to ever change.” [13:35 onwards]

WWE veteran is not happy with how Tony Khan manages AEW

While Tony Khan has a reputation for being very caring for the stars in his roster, Vince Russo thinks his booking methods are less than useful.

Speaking on an episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, the WWE veteran recalled what he had heard about the AEW president from the stars of the company. He said:

“I’ve heard from guys on top of AEW where, you know, with Tony [Khan], it’s basically just go out there and do whatever you want. You gotta have some kind of control and, you know, in order to put out the type of product that you want. So, you really got to find that happy medium.” [From 8:00 to 8:18]

As of now, it remains to be seen what Tony Khan plans to do next.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Sportskeeda and embed the exclusive YouTube video