Tony Khan stands by his decision to air the backstage footage of the altercation between CM Punk & Jack Perry at All In 2023. The footage was shown by The Young Bucks on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
During a recent appearance on “The Chris Russell Show,” the AEW President commented on whether he regrets airing the footage, his belief that it plays into The Young Bucks’ characters, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On if he regrets airing it: “I think it made a lot of sense. First of all, the Young Bucks-FTR ladder match is coming up at AEW Dynasty for the World Tag Team Championships. This is the fourth chapter in FTR-Young Bucks. I believe they are the two greatest tag teams in wrestling, the two best on the planet. The last time they wrestled, Young Bucks-FTR 3, was at Wembley Stadium, AEW All In. A lot happened that day. Those guys at one point, they were the third match on the pay-per-view, and at one point, it looked like we were going to have to call them up and they were going to have to wrestle the first match. They ended up going on in the spot they were in, but the Young Bucks said the whole day, everything that happened, it affected their mental preparation, they weren’t able to pray before the match, they were very stressed out. They slipped on the banana peel, lost the match, and they blame FTR and what happened at Wembley Stadium. In hindsight, that’s why they refused to shake FTR’s hands.”
On his belief that it plays into The Young Bucks’ characters: “We’ve seen the Young Bucks change a lot. We saw them get really dark during the retirement run of Sting. They’ve only gotten darker and more twisted. That’s why they felt like they should play the tape. It was fascinating to see after the tape played, the reaction Jack Perry got at New Japan. He got the reaction of a superstar. That is not altogether unexpected and it’s something very interesting, perhaps a side effect of this, Jack Perry already a big star in wrestling, really the way the crowd connected with him in Chicago, that was interesting. It leaves a lot of intriguing going into AEW Dynamite and AEW Dynasty.”
Tony Khan, the President of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), has defended his decision to air backstage footage of an altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry at the All In event in 2023. The footage was shown on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite by The Young Bucks, and Khan believes it was a logical move.
Speaking on “The Chris Russell Show,” Khan addressed whether he regrets airing the footage and explained his perspective on how it fits into The Young Bucks’ characters.
Khan stated that he does not regret airing the footage, as it made a lot of sense in the context of the upcoming ladder match between The Young Bucks and FTR for the World Tag Team Championships at AEW Dynasty. He emphasized his belief that The Young Bucks and FTR are the two greatest tag teams in wrestling and that their previous encounters have been highly significant.
Referring to their match at Wembley Stadium during AEW All In, Khan highlighted the challenges The Young Bucks faced that day. Initially scheduled as the third match on the pay-per-view, there was a possibility they would have to wrestle the first match due to unforeseen circumstances. This affected their mental preparation, causing stress and preventing them from praying before the match. Ultimately, they lost the match and blamed FTR and the events at Wembley Stadium for their defeat. Khan believes this backstory adds depth to The Young Bucks’ refusal to shake hands with FTR.
Khan also discussed how this decision aligns with The Young Bucks’ evolving characters. He mentioned that they have undergone a transformation, becoming darker and more twisted, particularly during Sting’s retirement run. According to Khan, airing the backstage footage was consistent with their current personas. He found it fascinating to observe the crowd’s reaction to Jack Perry (also known as Jungle Boy) at a New Japan event following the tape’s broadcast. Perry received a superstar reception, which was not entirely unexpected but still intriguing. Khan believes this adds an extra layer of interest and anticipation for upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite and AEW Dynasty.
In conclusion, Tony Khan stands by his decision to air the backstage footage of the altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry. He believes it was a logical choice given the upcoming match between The Young Bucks and FTR, as well as the evolving characters of The Young Bucks. This decision has generated intrigue and heightened anticipation among fans for future episodes of AEW programming.