AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
There's an old expression: "killing someone with kindness".
It was illustrated during an April 7 appearance on The Coach
and Bro podcast with Jonathan Coachman and Vince Russo.
Highlights included Khan addressing why he agreed to join
the show despite Coachman and Vince Russo's past critiques,
stating he doesn't want to hold negative comments against
people forever, adding, "That’s not Christianity. That’s
not what Jesus would do. We just celebrated Easter". In
terms of a change in approach by AEW, Khan admitted that AEW
had a "rebellious spirit" at its start, But Khan stated he
has since refined his social media approach and now prefers
to "take the high road" whenever possible. More on this
segment in a minute.
Khan also discussed the viral photo of his meeting with
Shane McMahon, noting his surprise that the image was leaked
and clarifying that Shane did not seem interested in an on-
screen role at that time.
Reflecting on talent overall talent relations, past locker
room drama (specifically referencing the CM Punk incidents),
Khan described them as more or less "welcome to wrestling"
moments and emphasized that his priority remains keeping AEW
strong. When asked about talent like Britt Baker and Ricky
Starks, Khan explained that booking is handled on a case-by-
case basis and is often impacted by injuries or planned
rotations for upcoming events.
During the podcast, AEW President Tony Khan broke his
silence on making his 2023 bid to buy WWE; first reported by
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics reported in a POST
Wrestling story that court documents in the ongoing TKO
shareholder lawsuit revealed that a company called Base 10,
headed by AEW President Tony Khan, bid $6.9 billion for WWE
during its 2023 sale process. The information was published
by Base 10 was incorporated in 2014 and lists Tony Khan as
its sole owner, with the address registered at the stadium
of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL team owned by his
father. There were three other bidders for WWE, including
Liberty Media (the owners of Formula 1 racing), a private
equity firm named KKR, and the eventual winners, Endeavor.
Base 10's offer was for $6.9 billion.
“I was very interested in the process and I think that if
there was going to be a sale; I would at least want to have
a chance to be involved and if it had gone for any less than
that I would have really kicked myself,” Khan said,
speaking about the subject for the very first time. Asked if
he had a chance to counter-bid or see any other information,
Khan said he doesn’t have any complaints about the process
from his side and while there were some stuff that he can’t
talk about due to the confidentiality agreement, he’s happy
with how things went.
Quizzed about the $6.9 billion figure which was published in
the WWE shareholders lawsuit, Khan said it’s not something
that he’s talked about or act big league about. “You
know, I’ve really tried to focus on the wrestling show and
that was several years ago and thankfully those have been
really good years for AEW”, he said.
As the interview ended, Russo expressed genuine respect for
Khan, calling him a "kind soul" and suggesting that Khan’s
kindness is a rare trait in the wrestling industry.
However, the interview wasn't free of shenanigans. The taped
version of the interview saw an obvious jump cut at 46:12,
removing the comment by Khan to Russo about being a
Christian. While Jonathan Coachman claimed no edits were
made, the video proof is out there. God know why Russo
decided to cut this...or perhaps it was too obvious Tony
Khan played them. Coachman's media person claimed to Sean
Ross Sapp that the missing passage would be restored.
Then there's the latest LOLTNA...except no one is laughing.
Last this week, despite giving multiple approvals to
WrestleCon, Create A Pro, and TJPW, TNA Wrestling pulled
talent from various independent shows during Wrestlemania 42
weekend in Las Vegas. Moose was removed from Maple Leaf Pro
Wrestling's (MLP) "Multiverse" event on April 18.
Leon Slater was pulled from the WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock
Memorial Supershow, on April 16 where he was scheduled to
face AEW's Ricochet in one of the most anticipated matches
of the entire weekend.
Nic Nemeth's planned match against AEW World Champion MJF at
a Create-A-Pro event on May 1 was canceled shortly after the
WrestleMania weekend pulls began, sparking public criticism
from MJF.
Lei Ying Lee was pulled from a TJPW show on April 16 because
AEW-affiliated talent (The IInspiration) were on THE SAME
CARD
It's clear that this is a move in significant part to
prevent TNA talent from wrestling competitors from AEW on
the independent circuit. The stated reason cited by TNA
President Carlos Silva for these removals is "partner
conflicts"....in English... WWE. WWE and is a stated
concern that TNA wrestlers might be booked to lose or be
"made to look weak" when facing AEW stars on shows not
controlled by TNA.
Finally, TNA management was reportedly unhappy that AEW
aired Collision directly opposite TNA Impact during NCAA
basketball coverage. This may have been the single biggest
moment of stupidity by AEW in this matter. The reason
Collision aired is because NCAA March Madness aired in the
Saturday 8:00 pm EDT timeslot. AEW had no role in the
decision. The decision was made by Warner Brothers
Discovery. It's not the first time WBD put them in this slot
when major NCAA and NHL event air on Saturdays. It won't be
the last time,
Not to mention that Collision will air on THiS Thursday,
because there's no rational way WBD is having them go head-
to-head with night 1 of Wrestlemania, not Stanley Cup
playoffs.
This move takes money out of the pockets of TNA talent. Only
a handful of them are on guaranteed contracts and supplement
what TNA earnings with independent bookings.
In response to the move MJF sent out a tweet slamming Silva:
“It’s called being preempted due to March madness....This
guy is actively a dumb motherf***er. Congrats. You pay your
talents sh*t. [Then] force them off shows where they can
make money. #lolTna”
MJF then continued with another comment on Busted Open
Radio: Let’s talk about TNA and the fact that they are
pulling young talent off the shows when they are barely
paying them any money whatsoever and telling them, ‘Hey, you
can’t wrestle because there is a guy from another promotion
that is wrestling on this show.’ Does that help young talent
grow? Does that help young talent become better inside the
squared circle? Moreover, does that help young talent put
food on their plate and table so they can eat? What Carlos
Silva is doing is disgusting. If anybody supports him or
that company at this point, it is very hard for me to wrap
my head around.”
West Coast Pro promoter Scott Bregante make his feelings
clear after TNA pulled all of its talent from facing AEW
stars during his two upcoming Wrestlemania weekend shows in
Las Vegas referring to the decision as “abysmal
dogshit.....Working with talent on an independent level,
after clearing everything, and doing business, only to have
said talent pulled after the fact, high or low profile,
gives me zero reason to work with anyone from said company
making said arrangements,” he wrote, suggesting that he
wont's be using TNA talent in the future.
He said that when you have an understanding and it gets
cleared, all parties involved have weighed risks.
“To get it cleared by multiple channels and by multiple
companies, to then have said company go BACK on it, is
garbage. And a Memorial show at that,” he said.
West Coast Pro will run West Coast vs The World and another
show in conjunction with Marvelous Pro Wrestling at Bizarre
Bar in Las Vegas.
Then, there's Pat Buck of Create-A-Pro Wrestling, another of
the promotions affected, making his feelings clear
“I don’t usually speak on things like this, but this
one’s too ridiculous to ignore. TNA, specifically Carlos
Silva, forced a change to the main event of our Create A Pro
show three weeks out after it was already approved and
promoted. Not sure who that helps.
Create A Pro is a training school with a promotion focused
on developing talent while running consistent live events.
We’re a school, dojo, and a mom and pop business… just with
two dads.
Live events are a necessary training tool, and they’re
disappearing, even at the highest levels, because they’re
not as cost effective and the money is in television. In a
direct way, we are providing a service for your talent to
make $ and keep their skills sharp. Do you not see that ?
We train wrestlers for wrestling companies. And now a
wrestling company has stepped in and hurt another wrestling
company that helps wrestlers get to wrestling companies.
Makes perfect sense. Maybe I’m the one missing something.
I’m annoyed, as it’s hard to ignore how unnecessary, and
honestly how cringe, this situation is.
And to be fair, talent wasn’t pulled, but altering a main
event match like that on our limited stage has the same
impact. Anyone who has actually promoted shows understands
that.
When something changes that affects another promoter’s show,
you make it right. Whether that means sending talent,
strengthening the card, or finding a way to return value,
you don’t just create the problem and walk away from it.
That didn’t happen here. And if any attempt is made now to
make it right, it’s a bit too late. You meet people with
grace, not chaos.
Create A Pro isn’t a competing media company. It’s a
training ground that built its own platform to develop
talent. No TV deal, no streaming, and we’re not attached to
any bigger company, yet.
Between CAP/WrestlePro, we run around 25 events a year and
reinvest back into us, our leases, rings, and the equipment
needed to put on shows. Equipment that, at one point, your
company needed to rent to operate in this market. And at
another point, when your company needed content and
additional matches, talent was placed on Create A Pro and
WrestlePro shows because there wasn’t enough content to
support it. Did anyone let you know about a past positive
relationship?
Years ago, your company used our students for extra work in
a meaningful way. Now it looks more like carrot dangling,
ring crew, and helping with catering but that’s an entirely
different conversation. Create A Pro has been a pipeline and
a support system to just about every major company in
wrestling. Most people know that. (Unless you ask the WWE ID
program, then we apparently don’t exist. )
I’m willing to believe Carlos may not know who I am, and
that’s fine. But if you’re in an executive position, you
should probably understand the room you’re operating in and
the etiquette that comes with it. Maybe Tony Khan can give a
quick crash course on how to protect your brand while still
helping the overall scene. It’s times like this I’m glad to
work for someone who actually champions the entire sport,
not tries to shrink it.
And yeah, I’m on the payroll but these words are from
experience not influence.
At the end of the day, we’ll adjust like we always do. But
if the goal is to grow this industry, or even your own
company, this isn’t the way to do it.
Keep it up!
The only way this will change is for indie promoters to stop
booking any TNA contracted talent in large
numbers...effective immediately. While it'll hurt
independent talent in the short term, it'll likely make
talent give their notice. Let half a dozen major names give
their notice. Let fans turn off TNA. It'll be then that TNA
will be forced to make a choice.
They say LOLTNA...but no one is laughing.
Until next time...
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