Tony Khan And AEW Stars Shut Down Dave Meltzer's Claim About Talent Paying For Travel And Hotels

AEW appears to be setting a new precedent when it comes to paying for travel and hotel arrangements for all talent and staff.

A fan recently asked Dave Meltzer if travel costs generally still fall on talent in the industry, to which he claimed that it does unless they are overseas. AEW President Tony Khan took exception to that statement and made it known that AEW talent and staff are covered. He tweeted, "That's false Dave. Your statement's true about other companies but doesn't apply at all to AEW. AEW invests millions of dollars every year on very good quality hotel rooms and safe transport to take care of our wrestlers. It's a huge investment I make on hotels weekly."

Several AEW stars have defended Khan's statement as veteran Chris Jericho shared that AEW is the only North American wrestling company he's worked for that has paid for his transportation and hotels for every show, at least since 1996 when "Paul E paid for my rooms at the crack hotel in Philly." Dax Harwood, who recently returned to the road, responded with, "No company, wrestling or other, has taken care of me the way AEW has. First class. I'll never forget that."

AEW referee Bryce Remsburg also chimed in to note that staffers including "refs, announcers, medical staff, security, hair/makeup, coaches" are also set up with quality arrangements on the road. Meanwhile, independent wrestlers Billie Starkz and Vert Vixen, who have performed as extras on several occasions, added that they've always been "taken care of" despite not being under contract.