"Tony tries to make everybody happy"- WWE veteran blames Tony Khan for former World Champion's lackluster AEW run (Exclusive)

Former WWE World Champion Jake Hager spent half a decade with AEW following his debut on the first-ever episode of Dynamite. The 43-year-old remained a staple part of the show during his time in Tony Khan's promotion, but his run with the company proved to be very lackluster.

WWE veteran Vince Russo recently blamed AEW president Tony Khan for the same, as Hager had won numerous titles before joining his promotion. He won three world championships in his career before joining AEW and was also a former US Champion and Mr. Money in the Bank in WWE.

While talking on an episode of The Wrestling Outlaws on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo said that Tony Khan tried to make everyone happy, and that cost Jake Hager's time in the company. He said that Tony Khan can't afford to do in professional wrestling, and it resulted in Hager not winning any titles in the All Elite promotion.

"I got to tell you, bro, I didn't see a lot of his run at WWE, but, bro, I watched like the first year and a half of AEW, I actually did. I watched Dynamite for like a year and a half, and, you know, bro, I think he was faced with a different problem over there, because I think over there, the problem is that Tony tries to make everybody happy. You cannot do that, bro, in professional wrestling," Russo said.

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Jake Hager left Tony Khan's promotion in May 2024 after choosing not to renew his contract with the company. He revealed that Khan had offered him a short-term contract after his deal expired, but he chose to reject it because he felt he had done a lot for the company and deserved more.

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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