Tony Khan has further discussed his recent meeting with Shane McMahon.
In a move that surprised many in the wrestling world, a photo emerged on July 31st of Khan and McMahon in a meeting room at an airport in Arlington, Texas. While it still remains very unlikely that a McMahon would appear on AEW programming, fans still speculated over what McMahon’s role could be in the company and if he would have any more matches following on from the infamous incident at WrestleMania 39 that resulted in McMahon tearing his quad and being unable to complete his match against The Miz.
Speaking on the Sedano & Kap Show, Khan stated that McMahon has no current ties to WWE and that it was the first time that both parties had met, adding that the meeting was a very positive experience:
“As I understand, he’s not doing anything with WWE, and I had a really nice visit with him. I heard from a lot of people that he was interested in talking and it had become, frankly, a big media story to the point where I was getting asked on the record questions about it and I answered them, just like I’ll answer you now.”
“In advance of, I had never met him and my first conversation with him, there was a lot of buzz about this. I thought it would certainly be worth talking and I have a lot of respect for him. I had never met him, but he seemed like a really nice guy.
I sat down with him, he was fantastic. I really enjoyed talking with him. He is a very smart person about wrestling and I thought he was a great guy. We have a lot of mutual friends and we both happened to be in Dallas. A mutual friend linked us up, who is one of the bigger names in pro wrestling, and that friend put us on a group chat. I had a really nice talk and I really enjoyed visiting with him. Clearly, there was a lot of interest in it.”
Due to the nature of the photo being made public and Khan’s expression, the image caught both men off guard and was not a planned photo. Continuing, Khan said the following regarding the nature of how the photo was taken:
“Somebody, in the middle of talking at an airport conference room, somebody just busted in and took a photo. I think that’s fine. I enjoyed the conversation and there is nothing wrong with a couple of people getting together and talking about wrestling. That’s part of what makes wrestling so great. There is a lot to talk about and we’re all fans at heart.
“It’s a big thing. It’s exciting. It was nice to talk to him. I don’t know what’s to come, but it’s an exciting time in AEW.”
With the wrestling world surprised by what they saw, many believed that McMahon becoming All Elite was very possible, especially with the unpredictable nature of wrestling news in 2024 so far. Shortly after the meeting, Shane McMahon issued a statement.
At the time of writing, McMahon has yet to appear on any AEW programming and has not been announced to be a part of the company in any capacity.
H/t to Fightful.
Featured image: AEW
