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Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has praised Tony Khan for the dedication and passion he has brought to pro-wrestling.
Khan has received a pendulum of praise and flak ever since the advent of AEW. The president of the promotion recently faced backlash for hugging Claudio Castagnoli and Kazuchika Okada upon their AEW debut. However, he was lauded for allowing notable All-Elite stars to make a video appearance on WWE RAW for John Cena's 20-year anniversary celebration.
Speaking on the Wrestling Shoot Interviews podcast, Dutch Mantell lauded Mr. Khan's dedication to the business:
"I actually liked that he has bought into the wrestling business,'' said Mantell. "I think he's an attribute and on John Cena's 20th anniversary, he had some AEW guys that they cleared to say a few words about John Cena. I think Jericho was one. I think he's a good thing for wrestling. I really do." (6.09-6.49)
The former WWE manager also commended TK for his intelligence and stated that he can't be abused for his knowledge of the business:
"He may really be a good thing for wrestling now. I don't think he can be used or abused or treated as a money mark. He's got more sense than that." (2.36-2.53)
Dutch Mantell praised Tony Khan for showing his emotions
Claudio Castagnoli made his long-awaited AEW debut at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view. It was also the first All-Elite outing for NJPW star Kazuchika Okada. During the post-show media scrum, Mr. Khan embraced both stars, showing his passion and emotion from the night.
The hugs TK shared with the two debutants resulted in polarizing comments on social media. During the same interview, Dutch Mantell weighed in on Tony Khan not shying away from expressing his emotions.
"Tony was in this embrace with Cesaro and it caught me by surprise first and then I got to think about it. Well, maybe this is what the wrestling business needs. Because Tony loves this business."
(You can read more here)
In only 3 years, Tony Khan has taken All Elite Wrestling to incredible heights. With him acquiring ROH and showing off a fresh product, it's safe to say that his love for wrestling is translating well thus far.
Please credit Wrestling Shoot Interviews and give a H/T to Sportskeeda when using quotes from this article.
