"It was really a double-cross" - Tony Khan opens up about WWE signing popular star before title match against FTR

The battle between WWE and Tony Khan's AEW has been heating up over the past year, with the industry juggernaut increasingly working to counter its younger rival's programming. A big part of the current war is in Mexico, where the WWE-controlled AAA is duking it out with AEW's partner promotion, CMLL.

Dragon Lee is on WWE's roster now, but he once performed for AEW. Back in 2022, he was one of the most popular luchadors on the market, and he was in a prime position to sign with All Elite Wrestling due to its short-term alliance with AAA.

However, Dragon Lee shocked the wrestling world by announcing that he had signed with WWE just moments after he and Dralistico defeated FTR for the AAA World Tag Team Championship at Gira Aniversario XXX. In a new interview with Case Lowe for Q101 Chicago, Tony Khan bitterly recalled the moment:

"We had agreed that FTR would go down [to AAA] and wrestle Rush and Dralistico, and then something happened during the day where Dragon Lee was in there. I was up doing a show in Denver that day... I talked to FTR, and they said, 'There's some kinda strange stuff going on here.' And then, right after Dynamite ended, that match went off, and they announced that Dragon Lee was signing with WWE, and he still had FTR's name on the [AAA World Tag Team Championship] plate." [24:55 - 25:23]

These WWE segments are not for kids - Watch here 😏

Khan then confirmed that something like that wouldn't happen again due to the strength of his current partnership with CMLL:

"So it was really a double-cross, and that would never happen now. That's one of those things that would never happen now. [CMLL President] Salvador and I are brothers. Like, I have a very close relationship with him. I don't believe he would ever betray me like that, and I would never betray him like that." [25:24 - 25:45]

AEW President Tony Khan is fending off WWE's counter-booking

WWE has ramped up its counter-programming this year, to the point that it's now hosting multiple shows on every weekend Tony Khan & Co. have a PPV scheduled. That will also be the case for this year's Forbidden Door.

It was recently announced that NXT Heatwave will take place on August 24, the same day as AEW's Forbidden Door supershow with NJPW, CMLL, and Stardom. According to WrestleVotes on Backstage Pass, the decision to book yet another event against a rival PPV came from TKO's executives.

Expand Tweet

According to Tony Khan, there hasn't been this much direct counter-programming since the days of Jim Crockett Promotions. However, the AEW president doesn't think this battle will turn out the same way.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

Know More

Big issue with Penta revealed HERE.

Edited by Jacob Terrell