In an interview with Q101, Tony Khan talked about AEW’s first trip to London for pay-per-view as both a big night and one of the company’s most stressful.
Speaking on the backstage incident that took place at All In London in August 2023, the AEW President gave credit to Samoa Joe for his part in defusing a volatile situation ahead of his match against CM Punk in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium.
The most stressful pay-per-view was the first Wembley — by far. Samoa Joe saved the day there.
I think it was very good that Samoa Joe de-escalated the situation. And also that Samoa Joe made sure that the fans got the match that they thought they had paid to see. And he went out there and everything was great, and he was such a professional. That exemplifies Samoa Joe in the ring and out of the ring. The most professional man. He was so great that day and so many other times.
He’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. What a leader Samoa Joe is — in the ring and out of the ring. A captain, a true captain of a team. I’m very blessed that he’s in AEW.
Punk was terminated from his AEW contract with cause due to the incident, returning to WWE later that year and recently becoming the company’s World Heavyweight Champion.
Joe is a two-time AEW World Champion as of this writing, recently dropping the title to MJF at the main event of Worlds End.
Source: F4WOnline
The full interview, which includes Khan speaking on comments from Cody Rhodes on his own AEW departure and more, can be viewed below; discussion on the most stressful pay-per-view Khan has put together begins at the 45:10 time stamp.