Tony Khan Comments On AEW Homegrown Vs. Established Talent Storyline

AEW's women's division has recently seen a divide between the talent — with homegrown stars such as Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Willow Nightingale on one side and stars who made their names in WWE, like Saraya and Toni Storm, on the other. Live crowds have been cheering for the homegrown stars, with some even booing Saraya despite her recent comeback after five years out of action. Following these reactions, Storm and Saraya seemingly turned heel on the January 18 edition of "AEW Dynamite," attacking Nightingale. Appearing on "Busted Open Radio," AEW CEO Tony Khan addressed the current goings-on within the women's division.

"I do think it felt like people were going to gravitate toward the homegrown wrestlers," Khan said. "I think with Toni Storm and Saraya, you know, with Saraya's early comments, the AEW fans felt like, 'Okay, this is somebody that hasn't been in AEW and you know, doesn't know the experiences as well,' and you saw the fans kind of have a positive opinion about Britt. Also, the fans really took to Jamie Hayter and had a positive opinion on her. So, I expected this and then when you saw how Saraya and Toni Storm have talked about the homegrown wrestlers in recent weeks, even with Shida in the room to her face basically when they turned, turned their back on her — not super respectful to the people who helped build AEW."

Tonight on "Dynamite," Ruby Soho will be taking on Storm in a singles match. Despite Soho making her way over from WWE, she has been a mentor to Nightingale and been well-received by fans since her debut. Baker, a true AEW original, was originally scheduled for the match, however, she was pulled due to injury.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.