During a media call ahead of Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor event, Tony Khan addressed the recent AEW cuts made on 4/1.
On the need to “keep an eye on the budget,” the AEW President stated:
“I am very, very proud of the AEW roster. We have a great group of women and men and a lot of great talent working in ROH. Any time we have to let someone go, it’s a tough call. We’ve expanded the company greatly this year, and I can tell you that I definitely plan to continue the expansion. I think we’ve built the best roster in wrestling, and I have no intention of stopping.
I am gonna keep the foot on the gas pedal. We’re gonna keep going after top talent, and to do so, we need a war chest, and it’s important to keep an eye on the budget. I definitely value the people who work here, and any time you have to make a cut, it’s a very tough call, and these are fluid situations.”
Khan pointed to the recent signings of big names such as Kazuchika Okada, Mercedes Mone, and Will Ospreay as facilitating changes to the budget, before noting just how different the situations are between those who were released.
“It’s possible, I think everybody there has great things to offer, and it’s possible you may see some of them back here. In the case of Anthony Henry, when he’s healed up, you will see him back here.”
Henry has since responded to the matter on social media.
On the topic of The Boys (Brandon and Brent Tate) being released, Khan noted that the pair had missed multiple bookings which led to the “tough call” of parting ways with them:
“These are all very different situations. I think Dalton and Johnny have been very creative. I’ve really enjoyed Dalton and Johnny working together, and this came at a time after Dalton had just custody of The Boys on ROH TV. The rivalry between Dalton and Johnny has been tremendous, and I’m really looking forward to the Fight Without Honor.
To be honest, they didn’t show up for work on more than one occasion, and it’s not acceptable. I think the whole locker room knew about it, and you can’t do that, and that’s it, and that’s why I had to make a tough call.”
Brent Tate has responded to this on social media, simply stating:
Source: Fightful