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AEW has been plagued by major injuries this year. All three of their marquee signings of 2021 have been injured. Booker T has taken issue with how he feels AEW fans have reacted to injuries in the promotion.
Bryan Danielson spent time on the shelf after Double or Nothing alongside newly crowned World Champion CM Punk. Adam Cole then sustained a major concussion at Forbidden Door, which has kept him out since. Additionally, CM Punk was injured once more as he captured the world title again at All Out.
More recently, Hangman Page sustained a scary concussion during his contest with Jon Moxley. He has since confirmed that he is okay but remains out of action for the foreseeable.
Booker T targeted the AEW fanbase during a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast. He levied that the fans didn't care about the wrestlers involved and likened the performers to toys when it came to the way fans view them:
“The AEW fans, man. They don’t care about those guys in the ring. They do not care about those guys working. Those guys could — they’re nothing more than toys, video games for these guys. They don’t care about those guys in the ring. If they’re not out there getting a ‘This Is Awesome’ chant, they don’t give a damn about these guys going out there getting hurt. They really don’t." - Booker T said (H/T 411 Mania)
The women's division currently has two women's world champions owing to injuries. The lineal titleholder, Thunder Rosa, remains out of action indefinitely, leaving Toni Storm to reign as the Interim Champion.
In case you missed it, you can check out the AEW Dynamite results here.
Booker T has previously challenged AEW to create new stars
While the fans bore the brunt of the two-time Hall of Famer's critique this time, Tony Khan has also been challenged by Booker to make new stars.
The former King of the Ring previously stated that there needs to be a method to keep names relevant, earmarking Hangman Page as an example of someone who could be positioned better:
"They’re gonna have to figure out how to keep these guys relevant, how to make these guys [into] bigger stars (…) Not just wrestlers," Booker said. "Hangman Page is definitely someone who should be talked about a little more. Seeing as Tony Khan said he was the greatest AEW World Champion in his history."
Hangman held the world title heading into this year, going on to lose to CM Punk as the Cult of Personality captured his first world title in almost a decade.
What do you make of Booker's criticism? Let us know in the comments section below.
