Tony Khan Explains Why He Doesn’t Take Shots At WWE Anymore

Tony Khan is no longer interested in taking public shots at WWE, and he explained why in a recent interview. The AEW president had a habit in AEW’s first few years of taking aim at his competitor when he would get the opportunity to do so. That includes an infamous promo he cut on Nick Khan back in 2021.

Khan has stepped back from disparaging WWE in the pact couple of years, something he touched on in his appearance on The Coach & Bro. Vince Russo encouraged Khan to “put the screws” to WWE right now as the company weathers criticism over its high ticket prices and creative decisions. Khan explained why he doesn’t do that anymore and you can see the highlights below:

On Why He Doesn’t Take Shots At WWE Anymore:

“I changed my approach, Vince. At the beginning of AEW, there really was a collective rebel spirit. Now, I think AEW is very established, and people know AEW has a quality product and a lot of fans. And I do want to grow that fanbase Vince, but the way I would do something now might be different than how I would have done it six or seven years ago. And I also think it’s possible that Vince Russo and Vince McMahon and DX could succeed by zigging at one point where I might succeed by zagging at another point.

On Russo Suggesting He ‘Put The Screws’ To WWE:

“There’s different ways to get to success and I’ve got my ideas and my way, but I can learn from different people. And I might not incorporate every aspect of it, but I do want to hear your thoughts and ideas. I think it’s interesting. I don’t disagree with everything you say, but I think the AEW fans would also agree, I’ve refined my own media strategy and people have seen me trying to take the high road. Some of it is the fact — and again, we have different approaches but I think we’re coming from the same place on this. Like you, I believe in taking the high road when possible… I feel like by taking the high road, that’s rubbed people the right way. Different people could say different things. There’s some things Vince that you or some people in wrestling could say that might be perceived different coming from you than if it was me saying it. I don’t know what it is about me, but I think like I have a different voice than you have. So for me, this is good. I’m not saying I’m trying to kill people with kindness, but being nice to people has gotten me a long way, and I’ve been trying to do it more in recent years.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Coach & Bro with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.