Viewers who tuned in for the 2024 NFL Draft were left with questions after an executive in the Jacksonville Jaguars draft room was shown wearing a neck brace.
Careful watchers of professional wrestling were happy to fill in the gaps: Tony Khan, Chief Football Strategy Officer for the Jags, is also the President and CEO of All Elite Wrestling. While his on-screen role to date had largely been limited to brief announcements, that changed dramatically last Wednesday on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" as Khan was on the receiving end of a "spike piledriver" that left him lying motionless in the ring being attended to by a host of wrestlers, referees and his father, Shad Khan.
As his duties with the Jags resumed the following day, Khan's position as an on-screen AEW character was on full display, wearing the brace in the team's draft room and on media appearances to acknowledge the physical danger of the move.
Speaking with Newsweek Tuesday, Khan continued to sell the storyline.
"I feel very blessed to be here talking to you," he said when asked how he was feeling. "I'm lucky to be able to do anything after being on the receiving end of the deadliest move in professional wrestling, the spike piledriver."
Khan's blurring the lines of on-screen stories with real world events has roots going back decades, famously so in the interaction between Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler in the 80s. As the curtain has been pulled further back in recent years, fans have resonated with stories that bleed over into real world events, even if wrestlers are obviously still working in-character.
Earlier this year in rival promotion WWE, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returned to the company to partner up with his cousin, then WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Johnson's work as antagonist spilled over into media appearances and social media posts, a departure from his usual persona, culminating with two matches at April's WrestleMania.
The blurred lines approach also matches the origins of the storyline Khan is wrapped up in. In August, AEW held a pay-per-view event at Wembley Stadium in London, selling more than 80,000 tickets. During the show, a backstage altercation led to the suspension of wrestlers Jack Perry and CM Punk. Punk, who had been involved in an altercation a year prior, was later fired from AEW and signed with WWE.
Perry remained away from the company, working in other promotions while proclaiming himself a "scapegoat." Earlier this month, he reemerged in AEW to aid The Young Bucks in their tag team championship match and Wednesday met Khan in the ring to request reinstatement. After Khan granted his request, Perry punched him in the stomach leading to The Young Bucks pile driving Khan as Kazuchika Okada cheered them on.
But much like the NFL Draft, don't expect that Khan will be completely out of action. He's got another pay-per-view coming at the end of the month, with an announcement coming Wednesday as to who will challenge the newly crowned AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland. Khan, though, won't be on-site for tonight's show featuring Strickland and a returning Kenny Omega.
"I'll be running AEW remotely from my office in Jacksonville, Florida. But you never know when a situation could arise in the arena and the line of succession being what it is, it could create some intrigue around AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite this week on TBS."
"AEW Dynamite" airs live on TBS at 8 p.m. eastern.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
