WWE has been restructuring major deals for its superstars. Amid that, Tony Khan’s handling of AEW stars and their contracts has come to light.
Following the end of the WrestleMania 42 season, WWE released a pool of talented in-ring performers. The latest round of talent cuts included names like Aleister Black, Zelina, the Wyatt Sicks faction, and more. A few weeks later, stars like JC Matteo and Tonga Loa also left the promotion.
However, the most shocking development was the exit of New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. According to reports, TKO decided to restructure its deals, including a major pay cut, which led both WWE superstars to leave the promotion. Kingston’s first post after leaving the company seemed to confirm the same.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, whether the company is in good or bad condition, Tony Khan is known to pay every penny he has promised to his talents. In the case of WWE, unless they were on the level of megastars like Roman Reigns, superstars were on the behest of quarterly earnings announcements or might be asked to restructure their existing deal, a situation similar to Kingston and Woods. It did not work in their best interests, which led to their exit from the promotion.
Tony Khan confirmed that there was no heat between two major AEW stars
In a recent appearance on MVP’s Marking Out podcast, Tony Khan discussed the rumor of his heat with Speedball Mike Bailey. The AEW President called the rumor false and immediately shut down the speculation. At the same time, he claimed that everyone in the locker room liked Mike Bailey.
“That was that BS rumor that you had some personal problem with Speedball, the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I have no idea who made that up. I’ve never seen anybody have a problem with Speedball. Everybody likes Speedball.” [H/T – @TheDrainmaker on X]
Furthermore, Tony Khan and his creative regime are gearing up for AEW’s next pay-per-view event, i.e., Double or Nothing 2026, taking place in New York. So far, only two matches have been announced for the show, so it will be interesting to see more bouts added to the card over the next few weeks.
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Edited by N.S Walia
