In addressing questions on why CM Punk was let go from AEW, Tony Khan managed to take a cheeky dig at his competitor in WWE, Vince McMahon. The news of Punk’s termination has caused fans to question why exactly the World Heavyweight Champion was let go. Apart from Punk, yet another star was also removed from the AEW website, with Khan confirming that their contract had not been renewed.

Despite two back-to-back dismissals, Khan did not back away from the spotlight. He managed to address issues that were raised by fans on Punk’s dismissal, while still managing to call out WWE at the post-event media scrum for All Out.

Khan slyly hinted at WWE’s mass layoffs

AEW just finished up All Out last night at the United Center, Chicago. The event was a much smaller scale one, drawing in a crowd of only about 8,500 people, compared to All In’s over 81,000. However, taking into account the arena’s 10,000 seating capacity, the PPV event was still considered a success.

At the post-event media scrum, Tony Khan was the center of all attention. Fans thought that he might avoid any media confrontation after firing CM Punk. Especially as he was booed by a crowd in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago before the start of Collision. However, this was not the case. Addressing Punk’s termination, as well as AEW’s decision to let go of Sonny Kiss, Khan said that it was not possible to keep every contract in AEW.

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In addressing Kiss’s contract, Khan seemed to take a dig at WWE. He said, “I think I’ve done a lot to really keep the locker room stable. I have a lot of people that I not only keep under contract but also I’ve done well I think to not do major or mass layoffs to let 20-30 people go at a time.” While it seems like a throwaway statement, Khan seems to be referring to WWE’s habit of undertaking major layoffs. Most recently, nearly 120 wrestlers back in 2020 and 2021.

Further elaborating on Kiss, Khan implied there was no bad blood between the two. “I still really hold Sonny in very high regard. It’s true that I didn’t renew that contract, but not because I don’t like Sonny. Because I book all the matches and do all the paperwork and put everything down on paper. I like Sonny a lot and every opportunity Sonny’s had and every match I’ve booked Sonny in, I’ve put some thought into. I would say the same of every wrestler here. But right now, with a huge crew, I think its hard to get everyone on TV,” he said.

Read more: “He Initiated It”: WWE Legend Gives His Opinion on the CM Punk Situation and Rumors of a Return to AEW

He went on to add that Sonny Kiss is a great athlete and has a great amount of talent. So if he has a storyline for her in the future, AEW would definitely want to work with her again.

But going back to 2020, why exactly did WWE lay off so many of its wrestlers and employees?

WWE let go of 119 wrestlers back in 2020 and 2021

Covid was a tough time for many businesses as they suffered innumerable financial losses. The same was the case with sports entertainment behemoth WWE. During the 2020 and 2021 budget cuts, WWE had to let go of a total of 119 wrestlers.

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This list included big names like the late Bray Wyatt, Ric Flair, Bronson Reed, Mercedes Martinez, and more. Wyatt was fortunate enough to be called back to the WWE in 2022. The others didn’t have a similar fate and had to go back to the independent circuit to earn a living.

Currently, the pro wrestling business is booming and WWE is making its fair share of profits. That said, the merger between WWE and UFC is almost nearing completion. Fans are excited about the crossovers that might happen in the merger. But a few are also afraid of another round of mass layoffs that might be on the cards soon. We will only have to wait and watch.

What do you guys think about Tony Khan taking a dig at WWE’s past layoffs? Was it uncalled for?