It’s no secret that there have been tensions between certain superstars behind the scenes at All Elite Wrestling. According to company president Tony Khan, there’s not much he can do to make everyone get along.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Khan was asked about what it’s like managing personalities behind the scenes at AEW. Specifically, he brought up the infamous fight between CM Punk and members of The Elite last year. According to Khan, the most important thing for him is the fans, and that means getting the best talent together.
Should some of them not get along, Khan says, that’s not ideal, but it’s the reality of the world and he can’t force people to be friends.
“The most important thing to me as the CEO is the wrestling fans,” said Khan. “I’m a huge wrestling fan, and I try to think like a wrestling fan. I want the best wrestlers here in AEW. I want the best roster. And there may be some of them that don’t get along with each other backstage or on TV. It’s not ideal, but it’s a reality, and I can’t make everyone get along.”
Khan also mentioned that he doesn’t believe it’s “in the best interest of pro wrestling for everybody to get along,” and said that as long as everyone is focused on improving each other and the company, it can work out.
“But ideally, everybody is going to be able to focus on their matches and putting on the best shows for the fans,” Khan said. “And I think that’s what we’ve been doing. We’ve had really strong ratings. So even though … wrestlers backstage hate each other and don’t want to be friends with each other, I think we all agree this is a really exciting time for the company. And it’s a really exciting time for the wrestling business and for the wrestling fans.”
“There are a lot of people around here who think they’re the best,” Khan continued. “And I think a lot of them have a valid claim that they’re the best. And what I’m trying to do is to create an environment where everybody can go out and prove it multiple times per week and create a platform where the fans can decide who the best wrestlers are, what the best rivalries are, what the best matches are. As long as I can keep the top talent in AEW, we will have the best matches and the best big events.”
