In an unexpected turn of events on AEW Dynamite after Dynasty, Tony Khan was beaten down by The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson). During the beatdown, Kazuchika Okada and a returning Jack Perry accompanied the Young Bucks. The four men now make up The Elite on AEW. This officially made Khan a character in AEW and not just the CEO. While the AEW head honcho has appeared consistently on the show, he’s never been physically involved in any storyline until now. It will be interesting to see where this angle goes.
Nevertheless, the segment involving Khan and The Young Bucks drew a comparison to Roman Reigns from a notable wrestling personality
Sean Ross Sapp’s podcast host claims the segment was akin to the Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns segment in the WWE
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The ending segment inevitably became a talking point on Fightful Wrestling With Sean Ross Sapp. Talking to Alex Palowski and Jon Alba, the trio discussed how, unlike AEW, the segment was. This drew a comparison to a segment that took place in the WWE. Sapp mentioned, “This is AEW’s Braun throwing Roman off a loading dock attached to a gurney.”
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The segment in reference here occurred on an episode of RAW in April 2017. While Roman Reigns was in a backstage interview with Michael Cole, Braun Strowman attacked him. This led to a brutal beatdown, after which medics placed Reigns on a gurney to be transported to the hospital. However, Strowman attacked him once more and even overthrew the ambulance he was in.
The connection that Sapp and Palowski drew was the outrageous nature of the segment. As mentioned before, Khan was never attacked on screen by any of the AEW talent. While not claiming the segment to be bad, the trio marveled at AEW’s boldness and the new angle. But the question remains: who’s the babyface in this story?
Is Tony Khan a babyface now?
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While the answer is obviously yes, Sapp pointed out in the same podcast that Khan received more heat than anyone else on the program. While The Young Bucks are the clear heels, the AEW head honcho’s reputation isn’t helping him. Parallels can be drawn to Stone Cold Steve Austin‘s stunning feud with Vince McMahon in the WWE. The Texas Rattlesnake was the babyface from the get-go. Austin’s popularity stemmed from the fact that he could resonate with the fans with his charm and rebellious personality. For the story that is playing out in AEW, it is difficult to pinpoint who could play the babyface as they garner more heat than cheers in pro wrestling. Perhaps Tony Khan could recruit a few of his talent to help in the ongoing story.
Another question regarding the segment is the frequency with which Khan will now appear in the storyline and where this could be headed. Will the AEW president get his revenge against The Elite? Will other wrestlers attack Khan as well? Tell us your thoughts on the segment in the comments below.