Summary

Tony Khan says the biggest lesson he took from AEW's backstage incidents with CM Punk in 2022 and 2023 was the need to keep the company moving forward.

Speaking while appearing with Jonathan Coachman and Vince Russo, Khan said he wanted AEW to continue succeeding after the turmoil and pointed to the promotion remaining strong in the years since as the most important outcome. He added that, in a perfect world, everyone could have worked together, but he does not believe that was realistic.

Khan's comments continue a run of recent reflection about AEW's growth, including his explanation that AEW's evolution changed how he talks about WWE.

Quote from Tony Khan

"I came out of that wanting AEW to succeed and to continue more than anything. What we were able to do to rebound from that... obviously, I wanted, in a perfect world, everybody to be able to get together and work together. I don’t think that was possible. But I also think that, over the past few years, we’ve been able to really keep AEW strong. To me, that was the most important thing."

Tony Khan later went on to say:

"I learned a number of things. I probably would do some things differently or say some things differently, but like you said, it wasn’t something I was expecting. You’re very experienced in wrestling, and that was very much a 'welcome to wrestling' moment in some aspects, because I had been in wrestling for almost four years at that point, but that was certainly a first for me. As with all firsts, you learn from them, and you hope not to ever have a repeat."

What the CM Punk fallout still means for Tony Khan and AEW

Khan is still framing the Punk incidents around AEW's stability, not around revisiting the drama itself. That matters because his comments make clear that, from his perspective, the promotion's ability to stay intact and keep growing became the lasting measure of how AEW handled one of the most turbulent stretches in its history.

His remarks also suggest the episode remains a turning point in how he sees leadership inside the business. Khan did not claim to have all the answers in hindsight, but he did make clear that the experience changed him and left him hoping AEW never faces a repeat of that kind of backstage rupture.

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.