Tony Khan says Mercedes Mone does not have creative control in AEW
During a media call to promote the 2025 AEW All In: Texas PPV event, AEW President Tony Khan was asked if Mercedes Mone has creative control. Here was Khan’s response…
“That’s definitely not true at all. I would love to talk about that. Mercedes Mone is an incredible talent. I have wanted Mercedes Mone in AEW and she is a big star on the show. I really enjoy working with her backstage as a talent and she has done great things for the company doing media. She’s a great person. Mercedes is a great addition to AEW. I also think it’s ridiculous, the idea that people would think because she’s a strong wrestler on the show that she must be the one dictating that. That is the complete opposite of what happens here.
We’ve done a really great job, this year in particular, with a really focused build and we’re on the best run of television we’ve ever had through the past six months in 2025. It’s been a great year for the company. I’m the only person with creative control over the show. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for what you see. I’m really proud this year because this has been one of the best years, six months into the year so far, we’ve ever done of television. Philosophically, since the start of the year, in particular this year… I’ll go back. I’ve had the final say since day one of AEW. I’ve had the final creative control since the beginning of the company.”
Khan also said the following about Mercedes…
“I have such a high opinion of Mercedes in particular, I also have a high opinion of her opponent Toni Storm. They are two of the best wrestlers on the planet. They are two people I meet with every single week. At least once a week, but usually multiple times a week and hear out ideas they might have and they hear out ideas I have. For both of them, I’m very involved in the direction of their character personally. They have people they work with. In Mercedes’ case, someone she worked with for a long time which is Jen [Pepperman], and I work well with Jen and Mercedes. In Toni’s case, I found somebody to help me work on it, which is RJ [City]. In the case of Toi or Mercedes or so many of the other great talents that I work with closely, I have the final say on what they do.” (quotes courtesy of Jeremy Lambert)