AEW President Tony Khan isn’t one to mince words when it comes to criticizing his competition, and in a recent interview, he took WWE to task for their booking of Sting after bringing him into the company in 2014.
After many years of speculation that he might be the most notable name never to sign with the sports entertainment giant, The Icon finally made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 2014, interrupting a traditional Survivor Series match and assisting Dolph Ziggler in defeating a team representing the Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-led Authority, forcing the team out of on-screen power.
The next April, he made his in-ring debut with the company at WrestleMania 31, where he suffered a loss to Triple H. He only competed once more in the company, facing Seth Rollins at Night of Champions the following September. In that bout, a buckle bomb from Rollins caused the star to suffer a severe neck injury, forcing him into retirement for a number of years. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2016.
“It Makes No Sense To Me” – Tony Khan On WWE’s Booking Of Sting
During a recent D Magazine profile on Sting, AEW President Tony Khan took WWE to task for their use of the legendary veteran, saying that he doesn’t understand why the sports entertainment giant wouldn’t utilize such a great talent if they had him under contract.
“He definitely had a lot more to offer than he’d be asked or allowed to show. To know that a wrestling company could have somebody like Sting—or really, specifically, Sting himself, because there’s nobody like Sting—under contract, and he would want to work, and they wouldn’t want to use him, it makes no sense to me. I don’t care what company it is, what time. I don’t care how many people you have under contract. If Sting wants to be active, and you have Sting on your roster, why wouldn’t you utilize him?”
While many fans may be concerned about the veteran continuing to perform in matches given his history with injury, Khan was adamant that the legend has been medically cleared and is fully able to compete.
“Nothing in Steve’s medical history precluded him from coming back and wrestling. We did examine him and had no concerns.”
Elsewhere in the article, the WWE Hall of Famer addressed his future in wrestling and how he wants his career to end. It was also revealed that his AEW contract will be expiring sometime in 2023.
The Icon’s most recent match with AEW took place at AEW Full Gear, where he teamed with ally Darby Allin to defeat the team of Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. He last appeared on the January 4th episode of AEW Dynamite after Darby Allin defeated Samoa Joe to become a two-time TNT Champion, celebrating with his friend as the show went off the air.