“We have trained professionals on the discipline committee, including two attorneys and Bryan Danielson.” – Tony Khan, 2/29/2024, AEW Revolution – Media Call
AEW held a media call two weeks ago in the lead-up to the AEW Revolution PPV.
Near the end, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics asked Tony Khan about the reported disciplinary committee that supposedly was responsible for the termination of CM Punk’s employment at the company, and would be responsible for future incidents of similar nature.
The above quote was the answer given by Tony Khan. We know the name of one of the attorneys, that being AEW’s General Counsel, Chris Peck. This leaves only one unnamed member of those mentioned on the media call.
The committee was first brought up in response to a question asked by Kevin McElvaney of Pro Wrestling Illustrated at the World’s End post-show media scum(12/31/2023), on what AEW has done to combat and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
This came after rumors circulated online following comments Nick Hausman made that very day on his “Rumor and Innuendo” podcast about Chris Jericho that led some to draw some unsavory conclusions.
Tony, whilst wearing a large fuzzy hat and glasses given to him by AEW Women’s Champion and top female star Toni Storm, and also whilst sat next to TBS Champion Julia Hart, said that he and the company took allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously and that he though AEW was the safest place in the pro wrestling world.
This was only three months removed from Tony also claiming before they went on air on the AEW Dynamite that followed the first Wembley show, that he had “never feared for his life more at a wrestling show” than at All In.
When pressed further on the subject, and whether he (Jericho) “was at any time under any internal investigation for sexual misconduct, any other type of misconduct, throughout his tenure in AEW”, a question posed by Phil Strum of USA Today, Tony claimed he could not speak to internet and unsourced rumors, and reiterated that AEW is the safest work environment in wrestling.
This answer he thankfully gave without the hat and glasses, but the feeling was still the same. It was a relatively nothing answer, and even if AEW is the safest environment in wrestling, that’s a pretty low bar to clear.
All of this comes in the first quarter of a very chaotic year for WWE and pro wrestling, as Janel Grant filed a complaint against WWE, Vince McMahon, and John Laurinaitis in January that has changed WWE irrevocably, leading to a WWE without Vince, Kevin Dunn, or any of constituents thereof for the first time in close to 50 years.
As the year goes on, we can assuredly expect more news about WWE and the numerous allegations made against them. By the same token, WWE to most of the public is pro wrestling, and it would be foolish to expect any negativity to be directed solely against them.
Even recent history has proven when things like this happen that the whole of wrestling suffers when things of this nature come up, not just WWE.
Look no further than the Titangate Scandals in 1992, when the WWE, then WWF, was bombarded with negative press and PR enough that the entirety of wrestling took a dip in TV ratings, attendance, merchandise sales, and overall popularity.
WCW, although not innocent at all in their right (Missy Hyatt sexual harassment scandal, multiple racial discrimination cases), suffered greatly from the negative press on wrestling at the time, as did the remainder of promotions based in the United States.
Parents didn’t want their kids watching the shows and being influenced by something that was so publicly negative.
Things might be hot right now in the midst of WrestleMania season and with the help of WWE having the best production and creative teams they’ve had in years (though by no means are they perfect) it’s easy to feel like nothing has changed WWE’s momentum, and that they may just barrel through all the bad news like a freight train.
More realistically, however, as the on-air TV gets colder, and as more nasty stories come out, it’s hard to imagine this momentum can be kept up forever. No hot period lasts forever.
Things will get worse for WWE, and as a result, they will get worse for the rest of wrestling as well, and that includes AEW as well. It is fair to hold them under a scrutinous eye as well, not just because of the allegations that have been levied against them, but because the rest of the world will as well.
So long as the criticisms are made in good faith, they’re not harmful and are helpful. While it’s become clear WWE has its own sick culture in desperate need of healing or even simply replacing, any criticism made against them must also be made against the whole of wrestling history and culture, because culture and behavior are truly the only things that trickle down.
“So first thing I should say is no comment. Second thing I should say about stuff and just Vince in general … is people make mistakes, and you love them regardless, you know?” – Bryan Danielson, 7/30/2022, Starrcast V
This is a quote taken from Bryan Danielson at the Starrcast event in 2022 when the initial stories had broken about Vince McMahon’s NDAs and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Interestingly, Danielson has not commented on anything as pertains to the more recent allegations in Janel Grant’s complaint, a silence that should be notable considering he was named specifically as someone on the disciplinary committee.
As a human being he is indeed entitled to feel however he wishes about certain people in his life, but considering he has a position of power in the company he currently works in, a company that is a direct competitor to WWE, this is no longer a personal criticism of his character but a professional criticism that must be made.
Imagine you are a female who works at AEW and you’re on the receiving end of sexual misconduct, harassment, or even assault. You would want to report this to someone you can trust to see justice carried out, or who will at the very least have your back over the person who committed such an act against you.
Now read the above quote again and realize that the person who said this, and did not retract said statement since saying it, is the person you will have to report this to.
Would it be a stretch to say that it would affect your willingness to come forth to them with it? Are you a hundred percent sure that he’s gonna have your back completely? What if he doesn’t? He’s also a part-time booker on some of the TV shows, what if it affects your booking somehow?
These are all worries that any woman in such a position would be completely within her rights to have. Is this to say Bryan Danielson would do these things, or that he is of poor moral character?
Of course not. But the fact that they are possibilities with more than zero percent chance of happening would be more than enough for any female talent to think twice before coming forth with any kind of allegation against anybody.
None of this is even touching on the fact that having pro wrestlers in such positions of power in the past has almost universally been negative. Terry Taylor’s history of alleged sexual misconduct ended up getting him fired from TNA Wrestling before getting picked up by WWE in 2011, where he ended up working in basically the same position as before.
John Laurinaitis is a defendant who is named directly in the complaint by Grant and is also Bryan Danielson’s father-in-law, in addition to being WWE’s on-and-off Head of Talent Relations for close to twenty years.
Even non-wrestlers who are in the business have a long history of this kind of behavior or complicity in it. Jim Ross allowed Ric Flair to act up on the now infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” in 2002 without punishing him because he “got a pass.”
Linda McMahon was head of human resources in the late 80’s and early 90’s when most of WWF’s worst allegations (until now anyway) were leveled against them.
Is having a wrestler in this position that they are not trained for, albeit one as seemingly level-headed and straight-laced as Bryan Danielson, really going to pan out as a good idea? Anything can happen, but history tends to point toward it being generally a bad idea.
Of course, he could be there to serve as a sort of bridge between the talent and the committee, but if so, that’s the kind of thing that should be made clear from the get-go. This is not a game nor is it something to be treated flippantly, as I’m sure everyone agrees with.
And because of that, transparency is going to be incredibly important as we get further into things. Is Danielson there to serve as a bridge between talent and the attorneys? Fine, then tell us that. Only three members of the committee were mentioned. Are these the only three members, or are there more beyond just them?
An interesting point that hasn’t circulated much; are any of these committee members women? Are any of them people of color?
Would a woman or a person of color or both working in the company who has experienced misconduct of some kind, not want to come to someone who would be able to relate and understand better than someone in the same position as them, and has maybe even been through the same experience?
If any of these things are being done the proper way, and if the environment within the company is safe, then one would imagine Tony Khan would be touting about it as much as he could. It’s the easiest PR in the world.
One might assume that he doesn’t have these things taken care of. That might not be true, but the longer he goes without saying anything of substance about it, the longer it gives people to assume it.
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 22, 2020
To finish off, it’s prudent to examine this quote from four years ago from now recent AEW signee, Mercedes Moné. This was in response to comments Sammy Guevara, a signee from the very starting days of the company, made about her in which he made a joke about wanting to sexually assault her on the 4th Hour of RAW podcast in 2016.
The comments had resurfaced, and forced AEW to suspend and investigate the situation, with Guevara going through “extensive sensitivity training.”
While it is good they took such action and initiative in the situation, and nobody is accusing Sammy Guevara of anything at all, it should be noted that this is a man that she will now have to work in the same place with. Mercedes Moné is easily the biggest female signee in AEW’s short history.
What if this situation makes her uncomfortable? Can she be assured the company will have her back? That Tony or the committee will have her back?
Suppose something does happen and she decides to come clean about it and Sammy gets punished; will the situation with her coworkers become uncomfortable? If these things are uncertain for Mercedes Moné, can they be certain for any other female who works at AEW?
Tony Khan and AEW only have to do the bare minimum to protect themselves, and they absolutely should, because things aren’t going to calm down as the year goes on.
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