Tony Khan Discusses Releasing All In Footage, Fan Reaction To Jack Perry
It's been one week since AEW made the controversial move of airing previously unseen backstage footage from AEW All In, which showed the heated confrontation between CM Punk and Jack Perry. Having faced criticism and questions regarding why he decided to air the footage, AEW owner Tony Khan has an answer. Appearing on "The Chris Russell Show," Khan revealed that the main motive behind airing the All In footage was to help build heat for the ongoing rivalry between The Young Bucks and FTR.
"Well, I think it made a lot of sense," Khan said. "First of all, [there's the] FTR/Young Bucks ladder match coming up at AEW Dynasty for the World Tag Team Championships. This is the fourth chapter in FTR vs. The Young Bucks...the last time they wrestled, Young Bucks/FTR III, was at Wembley Stadium, AEW All In. And a lot happened that day. They were the third match on the pay-per-view and at one point it looked like we were going to have to call them up and they were going to have to wrestle the first match.
"And then they ended up going on in the spot they were in, but the Young Bucks said, the whole day, everything that happened, it really affected their mental preparation, they weren't able to pray before the match, they were very stressed out. They slipped on the banana peel and lost the match but they blame FTR, they blame what happened at Wembley Stadium, and that's why, in hindsight, that's why they refused to shake FTR's hand."
Khan Says Jack Perry Got The Reaction Of A Superstar At New Japan Windy City Riot
One thing many have agreed on regarding the release of the backstage footage was the benefit it gave to Perry. "The Scapegoat" saw his t-shirt sales skyrocket in the wake of the video, and the AEW star received a molten hot reaction at New Japan Windy City Riot last Friday in Chicago, Punk's hometown, where he faced Shota Umino in a losing effort. The reaction hasn't gone unnoticed by Khan, who was backstage at Windy City Riot to see Perry and fellow AEW star Jon Moxley, who captured the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.
"It was fascinating to see after that tape played, the reaction that Jack Perry got at New Japan Pro Wrestling this week," Khan said. "He got the reaction of a superstar. That is not altogether unexpected and it's something very interesting, perhaps a side effect of this. Jack Perry [is] already a big star in wrestling, really the way the crowd connected with him in Chicago, that was interesting to see."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Chris Russell Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription