“Well received by our media partners” – Tony Khan shoots down criticism of excessive blood on AEW TV

AEW President Tony Khan has given his opinion on the criticism of excessive blood in his company’s programming.

The Jacksonville-based promotion has already recorded a bloody catalog of matches including Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa, TayJay vs. the Bunny and Penelope Ford, and the brutal clash between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley.

However, Khan doesn’t give much credence to the criticism, as he explained to News 12 Long Island. Khan stated that the in-ring product has always been the focus and pointed out that bloody matches have generally been well-received:

“It’s certainly not every week, you don’t see it on a weekly basis… For the most part, you see a focus on the in-ring action, but every once and awhile, when things have gotten out of hand, it’s been old school pro wrestling in a way that has been very healthy and has been well-received by our media partners and fans.” (H/T: Fightful)

WWE previously issued a statement on the use of blood in AEW’s product. They described the product as “gory self-mutilation”. Tony Khan’s response can be considered a reply to this line of criticism, given WWE further mentioned partners and fans as a demographic who would turn away from such a product.

AEW announcer Jim Ross has previously commented on the promotion’s use of blood

Jim Ross offered his own take on AEW and its semi-regular use of blood. Speaking on Grilling JR, he described Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker’s acclaimed Lights Out clash as the right time to utilize it.

“It exhibited and demonstrated the violence and the aggression that both women had. If we did that every week it would mean nothing,” said Jim Ross. (H/T: Inside The Ropes)

The Lights Out match between Rosa and Britt garnered such positive attention that it served as the launching pad for their title feud earlier this year. Their rivalry ultimately culminated in Thunder Rosa’s crowning as AEW Women’s World Champion.

You can check out Tony Khan’s full interview below:

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