Konnan Questions AEW Head Tony Khan's Decisions With Ring Of Honor

Konnan has doubled down on his earlier criticism of Tony Khan with regard to the AEW CEO's decision to grant ample television airtime to ROH storylines and title matches on AEW programming. On the latest edition of "K100 w/ Konnan & Disco," Konnan suggested that Khan — an ardent fan of the original iteration of ROH — likely purchased the promotion to honor its legacy more so than to actually turn it into a profitable business.

"He's a Ring of Honor fan, grew up watching it, [and] now he bought it," Konnan said. "To him, it has sentimental value. And all the hardcore marks, which are less than he thinks, they all pop for all these great matches that he puts together for them and him. But you've gotta forget about them — you've already got them. Like Disco [Inferno] says all the time, you've gotta draw new fans." 

Konnan then urged Khan to convince WBD executives to overhaul one of AEW's weekly programs to an ROH-based show, noting that such a move could help revitalize the ROH brand. "Bro, why would you buy a company to have it on YouTube? ... Why wouldn't you make 'Rampage' or 'Collision' one of your ROH shows?" Konnan asked.  

In Khan's defense, ROH's pay-per-view buy rates have been considerably higher since falling under the AEW banner a little over a year ago. The 2022 Death Before Dishonor garnered a total of 36,000 buys, with cable purchases up 132% and satellite buys up 178% compared to the prior pay-per-view event held just weeks removed from the ownership of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. However, in a worrying trend, ROH's pay-per-view buy rates are reportedly down year-over-year, with this year's Death Before Dishonor television buys down 56% from last year's event.