Tony Khan revealed how fan reaction changed his plans for his reveal of the mystery “Forbidden Door” signing on AEW Dynamite!
Rumors have been swirling this week over who would be the mystery opponent for Isiah Kassidy on this week’s AEW Dynamite with everyone wondering who would be crashing through the Forbidden Door to earn a spot in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match, the winner of which would be guaranteed a TNT Championship opportunity.
Tony Khan fueled the flames of speculation when he revealed that his big announcement on the February 4th Rampage was directly related to his tease of a new talent being signed to AEW. Taking to social media, he said:
“The big announcement for Wednesday’s Dynamite that we referenced on #AEWRampage (a free agent debut) and the person walking through the Forbidden Door are one and the same. They’re walking in the door, signing a contract, and then slamming the door shut Wednesday on #AEWDynamite!”
As fans speculated about the free agents available to be Isiah Kassidy’s opponent, various reports provided updates throughout the week, detailing who was and was not available to sign a contract with AEW. Tony Khan continued to spur speculation when he called the signing “huge for AEW.”
In the end, it turned out that both Keith Lee and Jay White made surprise appearances on Dynamite. Lee had been heavily rumored to debut on the night, and Jay White was a source of speculation among fans who believed the Forbidden Door shouldn’t be open to those who are currently free agents without a contract to any particular company since he’s currently signed to New Japan.
After the episode of Dynamite aired, Tony Khan once again took to social media to address the fan reaction to his hype throughout the week and how fan response actually changed how he addressed the situation as a whole. In his Tweet, the AEW President revealed that he hadn’t secured Jay White until after his Rampage announcement, and that he felt he had “butchered” the definition of the Forbidden Door in hyping the new signing as a debut.
Tony Khan also hoped the AEW fans felt that they were shown a special episode of Dynamite and thanked them for watching, despite any blunder he may have made. He also revealed how late in the game he secured Jay White for his Bullet Club appearance on the program.
“I didn’t secure @JayWhiteNZ until Sunday. I realized after the fact that Friday night I butchered my own definition of Forbidden Door in hyping tonight. I heard the fans’ feedback, & wanted to ensure that tonight was a special #AEWDynamite for all. Thank you everyone who watched!”
I didn’t secure @JayWhiteNZ until Sunday. I realized after the fact that Friday night I butchered my own definition of Forbidden Door in hyping tonight. I heard the fans’ feedback, & wanted to ensure that tonight was a special #AEWDynamite for all. Thank you everyone who watched!
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) February 10, 2022
While Jay White was only seen in a backstage segment featuring the Young Bucks and Adam Cole, it turns out that the free agent signing that Tony Khan had hyped turned out to be Keith Lee, who made his entrance to thunderous applause from the Dynamite crowd. Lee proceeded to prove his strength against Isiah Kassidy, defeating him after a number of impressive moves, including launching him across the ring.