Tony Khan’s Excitement vs. Reality: Not Creating Stars in Pro Wrestling – Do Not Just "Enjoy All Wrestling"

Hey everyone,

This past week, Tony Khan and AEW held a press conference to celebrate tickets going on sale for AEW All In Texas in 2025. The AEW on TV Twitter account shared a caption that read: "Tony Khan is excited about the future of pro wrestling."

But how many times is Tony Khan going to say he’s “excited for the future of pro wrestling” while actively contributing to its decline? What “future” is there when AEW is filled with already established stars and former WWE talent?

Here are my thoughts and observations, broken down into three key points:

1. Tony Khan is ALWAYS “excited for the future of pro wrestling” but hasn’t created NEW stars.

2. AEW’s hiring model only works for pre-packaged talent. If you’re a newbie wrestler, don’t expect AEW to invest in you or your potential. (I gave some specific examples of this on the podcast episode.)

3. Tony Khan poaches NJPW talent, leaving New Japan little breathing room to properly develop or elevate their hard-working roster into the gaps left behind.

Of course, after sharing my opinion, I got called names and received responses that did nothing to provide a convincing counter-argument or a different perspective.

It’s disappointing to see AEW’s current state unfold in real time—not in a fantasy bubble, but as it truly is. The turnout for the All In Texas press conference was underwhelming. This was supposed to create hype and excitement, showing fans why they should care about wrestling coming to Texas. It’s a missed opportunity, especially when social media gives promoters, bookers, and talent such a powerful reach when used correctly.

Sending emails to a fan mailing list can only go so far. They could’ve done more—like hosting a Twitter Space leading up to the day, engaging fans with wrestlers headlining the show, or simply having a host talk with talent to create some buzz.

Wrestlers themselves could’ve filmed short, authentic videos sharing what the All In Texas show means to them. Non-scripted, non-robotic content goes a long way. Do something creative in the ring, make it personal, and remind fans to grab their tickets. Simple, effective, and far more engaging than what we got.

A Twitter user recently pointed out, with solid evidence, the noticeable lack of effort from some AEW wrestlers in promoting the show.

On the indie scene, this exact issue comes up a lot in conversations between promoters and wrestlers—the frustration when talent only gives a retweet or a simple share without adding any context or putting in extra effort to hype the show, they're part of.

When it comes to AEW not making new stars—a topic that can be controversial to some—it’s worth pointing out that the wrestlers we frequently see on Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision already came in with the fundamentals. These are performers who wrestled on the indies, put in the work to get their reps, and developed a decent ability to work a crowd.

Tony Khan didn’t make these stars. The wrestlers on AEW programming arrive with their own established names, moves, gear, and personas. Sure, someone like Hologram is a Tony Khan creation—he got repackaged—but even then, he’s just a fall guy for the roster, used to try and push stories forward. And let’s be honest, it’s not working.

Buying wrestlers or signing former WWE talent isn’t the same as building new stars who could truly represent AEW or become the face of the company. It’s not enough to slap a contract on someone and expect them to become a “pillar” of AEW.

It also raises a bigger question: What is AEW’s identity, anyway?

This brings me to the next mini-topic on the podcast episode—a rebranding or reframing of the acronym IWC. While scrolling, I briefly encountered the joke of renaming it to I Will Complain, which got a good laugh depending on who you asked.

However, it’s crucial to distinguish between the podcasters and fans who genuinely want wrestling—and AEW—to thrive rather than glorifying and retweeting the bad-faith engagement of toxic Twitter users and trolls within the IWC.

On the podcast, I dive deeper into how social media algorithms often reward negativity over authentic positivity or meaningful content that uplifts the wrestling community.

I also share some practical tips for curating your Twitter timeline, so it reflects what you actually want to see and engage with.

The final topic on the episode discusses the phrase we hear every 3 to 6 months from wrestlers who emerge from wherever, log onto Twitter, and say: “EnJOy AlL WResTLinG!” No, we will not just enjoy all wrestling. No other fandom simply enjoys all the sports they watch. No other community just enjoys all genres of movies. Every passionate fan has the right to voice their complaints, concerns, and feedback on what they care about most. The phrase “Enjoy All Wrestling” often feels like a cop-out—disregarding any constructive criticism from the fandom that wants to see real improvement from wrestlers and companies alike.

Those who constantly use “Enjoy All Wrestling” and follow it up with rah-rah speeches clearly don’t want to see real progress and are skating by on the extreme bare minimum.

For my final thoughts: No, we won’t just enjoy all wrestling, and I hope one day Tony Khan wakes up to the fact that things at AEW need to change for the company to survive. Just because they signed a new deal with a big payday doesn’t mean they’re safe.

Think about this: Sesame Street got canceled so AEW could exist on that network/cable channel.

In 2025, I’ll be rebooting my show Tape Study. I want to help wrestlers improve their wrestling and promos by watching and breaking down their pro wrestling matches. More information coming soon.

Thank you for reading and listening! I really appreciate it!