Tony Khan may have a reputation for hiring all former WWE talent but there is one man he says he will not work with.
Since its inception, AEW has made significant strides in signing former WWE Superstars, many of which established main event talent such as Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Adam Copeland and Bryan Danielson.
The company has also hired numerous individuals who didn’t manage to achieve their potential in the WWE, most notably, world champion Swerve Strickland. Others have found renewed success and opportunities within the company following their stints in WWE
During the early days of AEW, Khan mentioned the WWE Hall Of Famer who he swore would never be a part of AEW.
Speaking in 2020 to the Wrestling Observer, Tony Khan explained his reasoning on why Hulk Hogan was banned from all AEW events.
“What he said on the tape, long before George Floyd, I’ve told people I can’t work with Hulk Hogan… how can I look my black friends, football players, employees in the face or myself in the mirror after the things [Hulk] said and has never given an adequate apology for? He can’t blame what he said on tape on the dangers of social media.”
Khan was referring to the surfacing of the court-sealed tapes revealing Hulk Hogan to be making racially insensitive remarks. These tapes were central to a libel case involving the gossip website Gawker, which itself was embroiled in a controversy over publicising private matters and a series of “outings.”
The incident resulted in Hogan’s contract termination from the WWE in 2015.
Tony Khan Reveals Talks With Goldberg
Another big name from the 90’s was been made welcome to AEW if a deal could be reached. Tony Khan first reached out to Goldberg in 2023. Khan revealed what their relationship was like and what he thought of the former multiple world champion.
H/t to WrestlingInc.com