On a recent edition of the “Hall of Fame” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T discussed AEW President Tony Khan taking a shot at Jinder Mahal for not winning a single match in a year and still being given a WWE World Championship bout with Seth Rollins.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Tony Khan’s tweets about Jinder Mahal: “That’s funny, man. I swear to God, to me, being an insider, man. Being a guy has been in this business for more than 30 years, and to hear someone like Tony Khan talk about a 28-1 winning streak? Bro, come on, we all know what this business is, okay? And then to throw Jinder Mahal — let’s say this. Jamal is doing some of his best work. I mean, he’s believable, he’s playing a role. He’s being put in that position for a certain reason to spark a certain reaction. And dammit, if that pop when The Rock came out didn’t solicit everything that I’m talking about, what the hell? You know what I mean? I’m serious, I’m serious. Because the pop that… The Rock got, it was because Jinder Mahal had a huge part of that, you know what I mean? You can’t knock the work.
“And then to talk about you know, a championship opportunity — you know, we were just talking about that just yesterday. Conor McGregor coming back, he’s gonna get a title shot. Colby Covington comes back, he’ll get a title shot. You don’t have to be a winner to get a title shot. You know, especially in professional wrestling. It is all about entertainment more than anything. I think for me, from my perspective, that’s the only thing it’s always been about, as far as this business goes, the entertainment. And for Tony to really start to look at this business like that, it concerns me more than anything.”
On the bad look for Khan: “That’s exactly what I mean, it makes no sense. It’s the stupidest thing ever. I hate using the term ‘mark.’ But this seems like someone who’s definitely, like you said, not thinking from a boss mentality. [He’s] thinking about what was going on social media and what people are saying. One thing about this business, one thing about his life — especially the life that we’re living in this time that we’re living in right now. No matter who you are. I don’t care if you’re Tony Khan, a billionaire, or the guy working at McDonald’s. If you have a Twitter account, you’re gonna get some hate from somebody. And if that’s what you’re living by, that’s what you’re running your company by? You got a serious, serious problem.
“I would suggest Tony Khan, delete X off his personal phone. Still let the company run the X, of course. Just like say, for instance, Reality Of Wrestling. I don’t do any of it. I don’t do any tweeting, I don’t do any Instagram posts, I don’t do Facebook stuff or anything like that. But I have all of it. And we do great numbers on all of it. But I’m not running any of it. Because I’m not going to get caught up in the cycle of what people are saying about me. Because trust me, I know I get hate on a weekly basis. Every time I leave the commentary booth, somebody probably saying something about Booker T…. most of those people are talking about me. They wish they were me.”
On Khan going after talent: “For me, it’s definitely low brow, as far as Tony Khan going after Jinder Mahal. Just like I said, talent has nothing to do with this war, other than being a soldier and going out there and doing the job. You know, if Jinder Mahal did not get a win for a year, and he went out there and did that job for that full year, he did his job. He was a soldier. So for me, [for] the generals to be calling out to soldiers — which Tony Khan should be looking at himself as a general, being the guy that’s commanding that company and then calling all the shots. To be on Twitter making comments like that, it just goes to show you that this guy’s got the job. You know, I feel Tony Khan has the wrong job. You should be in charge of social media. [laughs]”
You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
In a recent episode of the “Hall of Fame” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T shared his thoughts on AEW President Tony Khan’s comments about Jinder Mahal. Khan had criticized Mahal for not winning a single match in a year but still receiving a WWE World Championship opportunity against Seth Rollins. Booker T expressed his disagreement with Khan’s remarks and shed light on the nature of the wrestling business.
Booker T, who has been in the industry for over 30 years, emphasized that as insiders, they understand the scripted nature of professional wrestling. He praised Jinder Mahal for his work and believability in his role. Booker T also pointed out that Mahal played a significant part in generating a massive reaction from the crowd when The Rock made his appearance. He highlighted that winning streaks and championship opportunities in professional wrestling are often driven by entertainment value rather than actual wins.
The WWE Hall of Famer expressed concern about Tony Khan’s perspective on the business. He believed that Khan’s focus on social media and public opinion could be detrimental to running a successful company. Booker T suggested that Khan should distance himself from personal involvement in social media and focus on the overall management of the company instead.
Booker T criticized Khan for going after talent like Jinder Mahal, stating that talent should be seen as soldiers who perform their roles and fulfill their responsibilities. He believed that as the leader of AEW, Khan should act as a general and make strategic decisions rather than engaging in Twitter feuds. Booker T humorously suggested that Khan would be better suited for a social media role rather than being in charge of the entire company.
The discussion highlighted the importance of separating personal opinions from professional responsibilities in the wrestling industry. Booker T emphasized that hate and criticism are inevitable for anyone with a public presence, but it should not dictate decision-making or affect the running of a company.
In conclusion, Booker T’s comments shed light on the recent controversy surrounding Tony Khan’s remarks about Jinder Mahal. The discussion highlighted the entertainment-driven nature of professional wrestling and the need for leaders in the industry to prioritize strategic decision-making over social media engagements.