"There can only be one top guy"- Wrestling veteran takes shot at AEW president Tony Khan (Exclusive)

AEW has had numerous big-name stars on its roster since the promotion's inception. The promotion was started by Tony Khan, whose father owns NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars and English Premier League side Fulham, along with The Elite, who became the first members of the roster.

Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, and The Young Bucks were all some of the biggest names not signed with WWE at the time, and they chose to build AEW from the ground up. Since then, even after Cody's exit, the promotion has continued to attract some of the biggest stars. However, wrestling veteran Vince Russo has recently taken a shot at Tony Khan for the same.

He was speaking on an episode of The Wrestling Outlaws on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, where he said that Tony Khan is trying to appease everyone on his roster, but only one person can be the top guy. He even said that the way Tony Khan was booking his talent won't get anybody over, because he was trying to give wins to everyone.

"Everybody thinks they should be the top guy, and, bro, if you don't think you should be in the top guy, you shouldn't be in the business. But the bottom line is everybody thinks they're the top guy, and there can only be one top guy. And so he [Jake Hager] had inconsistent booking at AEW, Chris, for different reasons. Because, again, you know, Tony is trying to appease everybody. That means, you know, this week, I win. Next week, I lose. This week, I win. Next week, I lose. Bro, you're just not going to get anybody over that way, man," Russo said.

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Some of the biggest stars on the AEW roster today include The Elite sans Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, and MJF, amongst others. The promotion has done an excellent job of competing with WWE and has quickly established itself as one of the best wrestling promotions in the world.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed

"There can only be one top guy" - Wrestling veteran takes shot at AEW president Tony Khan (Exclusive)