Tony Khan’s health status heading into the NFL Draft was questionable following recent events at All Elite Wrestling’s “Dynamite” show this past week.
Khan ended up being the ultimate showman at the NFL Draft, leaving many Jags fans wondering why someone in their war room was wearing a neck brace.
Earlier this week, the Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jaguars appeared as an on-screen character for AEW Dynamite, a pro wrestling organization where he is the founder and co-owner.
The Jaguars’ exec and son of owner Shad met wrestler Jack Perry, the son of the late Luke Perry of "90210" fame, in the ring, looking to talk to his disgruntled employee after suspending him for months following an incident with CM Punk last year. A melee ensued leaving many to wonder whether or not Khan will let the real world see the wounds the fake world has dealt him.
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Tony Khan managed to make the most of his attack during one of the biggest nights and weeks in sports.
Why Jaguars owner Tony Khan is selling fake wrestling injury at NFL Draft
Khan and Perry met and talked things out. Perry attacked Khan after he got reinstated, putting Khan on the floor with a punch to the gut. It was a shocking moment that reminded wrestling fans of when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gave Vince McMahon a Stone Cold Stunner in the '90s. The assault didn't stop there.
The Young Bucks, Executive Vice Presidents of AEW, and Kazuchika Okada joined Perry in attacking Khan, giving him a wrestling move known as the 'Meltzer Driver'. The episode of Dynamite ended with Jaguars owner Shad making his first AEW appearance, looking concerned in an attempt to add to the drama.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Jack Perry puts his hands on AEW CEO & GM, Tony Khan!
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 25, 2024
Watch #AEWDynamite on TBS!@boy_myth_legend | @TonyKhan | @YoungBucks | @RainmakerXOkada pic.twitter.com/aulRu8jAq2
Why is Tony Khan still wearing a neck brace at the NFL Draft
Per Fightful, Khan was seen wearing a neck brace while taping a match for Saturday's edition of AEW Rampage. The taping will reportedly air with Khan selling the effects of Wednesday's attack.
Since the attack, many have speculated as to whether or not Khan will wear a neck brace during the 2024 NFL Draft as a way of honoring the wrestling storyline.
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Khan had a great chance to help promote AEW on a massive stage like the NFL Draft by simply wearing a neck brace and drawing attention to the wrestling angle. He was seen on TV wearing the brace as his father smiled behind him. Pat McAfee, who works for WWE, even mentioned the storyline on his show.
"Tony Khan becomes the first ever NFL executive in a draft room, shaking off the effects of a piledriver he received on national television in a wrestling ring the night before."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024
Kayfabe is alive and well. pic.twitter.com/0hWXwUpO6p
On day two of the NFL Draft, Khan continued to wear the neck brace. He promoted AEW while breaking down his rivalry with WWE. He had some choice words for WWE, the company that recently separated itself from Vince McMahon following recent allegations against him.
"We are like the Pepsi of pro wrestling, and we're up against a really evil juggernaut. WWE is our competitor. That's who we're facing... WWE is like the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling," Khan said.
Tony Khan had quite the lines in a NFL Network interview, while wearing his neck brace. "We're up against a really evil juggernaut. WWE is our competitor. That's who we're facing. AEW's like the Pepsi of pro wrestling, WWE's like the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling." pic.twitter.com/Sxx1MRIV9b
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024
Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, an NFL Films crew has followed Khan since Wednesday's Dynamite episode and will continue to do so through the weekend. The crew will look into his juggling roles between managing an NFL team and a pro wrestling organization.
Tony Khan’s pro wrestling history
Khan doesn’t hide he is a massive pro wrestling fan. It all started before he turned ten when wrestlers appearing on other TV shows caught his eye.
“I had a television in my room, and I watched a lot of live-action shows and cartoons. One of my favorite live-action shows was The A-Team, and one of my favorite cartoons was G.I. Joe,” Khan told The Ringer.
“The host of G.I. Joe was Sgt. Slaughter. He was also a cartoon character, but you knew it was a real person because he hosted the wraparound as the live-action host of the show. I also watched The A-Team a lot, and Hulk Hogan appeared as a friend of the A-Team a couple times.
“Then I saw more commercials, and saw that these guys also fought on another show, and on the other show it seemed like they weren’t the actors in a TV show; it seemed like they were actually going to have fights. I was really interested in it, and then I started to watch the World Wrestling Federation and became interested in wrestling.”
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From there, he watched all kinds of wrestling, from WWE (then the WWF) and WCW to old-school territory promotions. He also created programs in his head, fantasy writing pro wrestling shows.
In 2018, Khan filed for trademarks for what eventually became All Elite Wrestling, becoming an investor in the promotion. He wears many hats, serving as President, CEO, General Manager, Executive Producer, and Head of Creative. Khan has attempted to unite pro wrestling, working with various promotions from around the world.
