Tony Khan didn’t have much to worry about signing-wise when Vince McMahon was leading WWE – but that’s not quite the case with Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque in charge!
Tony Khan has amassed an impeccable roster since the inauguration of All Elite Wrestling in early 2019, ranging from ex-WWE Superstars to highlights of the independent scene. In 2022 alone, he’s signed the likes of Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, and Claudio Castagnoli.
Moving forward, though, he may have trouble getting the talent he wants. With Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque now having a bigger role in who WWE signs, bidding wars may ensue for the top free agents. Speaking to NBC Chicago, Tony Khan detailed the different promotional philosophies between Vince McMahon and Triple H:
“Well, it’s interesting. I do think probably in terms of the two companies having a more similar philosophy about signing talent, I do think our philosophies are probably closer about who we would want to sign. So, for free agency, it could be probably a more competitive market in that sense.”
Tony Khan continued, explaining the benefit of competition within professional wrestling:
“There’s definitely a lot of competition. I don’t think we’re best friends or anything like that, and again people in the wrestling business not liking each other, but competing is probably a good thing.”
WWE and AEW have been tied to the hip since the latter’s launch in 2019 but recently, Triple H revealed how much attention he pays to the competition. Furthermore, his sarcastic remarks surrounding AEW defeating WWE’s “developmental” system saw Chris Jericho hit back, emphatically stating how “NXT sucks”.