Bryan Danielson named AEW President Tony Khan as the person he would hypothetically choose to run a wrestling promotion, praising Khan’s connection with fans and his respectful treatment of talent, regardless of their roster position.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Danielson preemptively addressed potential skepticism due to his AEW employment.
“Regardless that this is my legitimate answer, people are going to assume that because I work for AEW that, ‘Oh, he’s just saying this because this is his boss,’ but I would legitimately have Tony Khan,” Danielson insisted.
He elaborated on his reasoning, highlighting Khan’s positive attributes: “I think he’s very in tune with what wrestling fans want, but then also, he is a good person. I’m not saying anything bad about anybody else, but I know that he always tries to treat people with respect and kindness, no matter where they are, like up or down the roster, right?”
Danielson shared a specific anecdote from after the chaotic events surrounding AEW All In 2023 at Wembley Stadium to illustrate his point.
“I remember that after the first Wembley show, we were in a bit of a disarray backstage because of some things that had happened and we were putting together Dynamite… And one of the talent, somebody you would consider very undercard, and not a top priority, had an issue and Tony took time out to talk to this person. Not talk down to them, but talk to them about their concerns or whatever it is. Sometime, I worry that he is almost too kind [laughs] because we’re trying to get a show out, everything’s in disarray, but he takes other people’s feelings into consideration.”
Danielson also views Khan’s relative newness to the wrestling business structure as a strength.
“There’s also this idea that he’s an outsider in the wrestling business and I think he constantly feels the need to prove himself, which I think is a good thing,” Danielson concluded. “When he thinks there’s negative feedback, he doubles down, puts his nose to the grindstone and tries to make sure that our product is appealing to our fanbase.”
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