AEW boss Tony Khan recently appeared on “The Way of The Blade” and talked about how he’s tried to make title shots hard to come by in AEW.
Khan revealed the influence that Mid-South Wrestling has had on the booking of AEW. The podcast episode focused on how WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase did battle for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Title, in one of the bloodiest territory matches ever. DiBiase was a substitute for Butch Reed, but was attacked by Dick Murdoch before the bell rang. DiBiase continued the match despite the attack, but came up short.
Khan appreciated the emphasis that this put on the importance of title matches, and said he tries to carry that same importance in the booking of AEW.
“I’ve tried to make it feel that way. The title shots don’t come that easy,” Khan said. “If you think about it, like in AEW it’s — and I really do love Mid-South and like some of the ideas, some of the show, and in some of the things I’ve done, I’ve definitely been inspired, influenced, and I know not everyone loves everything about it. I try to make it a good show, you know, for different audiences, different fans and not, — I’m not saying this self-servingly, but I try to create the perception of our title, which is not a coincidence.
He continued, “It looks a lot like in terms of being a giant big, giant belt, that is a beautiful belt. My favorite title of the 1980s and my childhood is definitely the North American Title, that 26, sometimes they say 27 pounds of silver and gold, and so I appreciate that the idea of title shots being hard to come by. So I’ve tried to create that, you know, it’s not like everybody gets a shot at the title. If you think about it, people have gone a long time without getting on and you know, so anyway…”
(H/T to Fightful for the quote)
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