Much has been said about the level of creative control TBS Champion Mercedes Moné has in AEW. Some believe she gets the final say on everything she does for the company, overruling even AEW President Tony Khan.
Moné, better known as Sasha Banks in WWE, is one of AEW's highest-paid stars and someone Khan understandably views as a major draw. However, during a media call for this weekend's All In PPV, he dismissed the notion that Moné is the one calling the shots.
"That’s definitely not true at all," he responded. "I am the only person with creative control over the show. This year, I think you’re seeing the most focused AEW in many, many years, in part because there are less voices. If I don’t feel 100% about it, I’m not going to do it."
Khan went on to praise Moné as a "hugely talented star" and a "great person to work with" who has proven receptive to his creative plans.
Pushed for an update on the status of former AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (who is rumoured to be WWE-bound after being shelved by Khan), the AEW President said, "I’ve never had a conversation about Britt departing AEW."
Khan added, "I think Britt is a great example of somebody that’s very, very talented and we could utilize in AEW, in the right situation, at the right time." As for a potential surprise return at All In, he claimed, "I would expect to see a lot of focus through the casino gauntlet matches on the people that you’ve been seeing across Collision and Dynamite each week."
You've likely heard that a member of AEW's production team is suing AEW and Jon Moxley for injuries he allegedly sustained after being pushed to the ground by Mox during one of his matches.
Khan had to choose his words carefully, but wanted to make it clear that, "I think we really do care about the safety of everybody here. We always have, whether it’s the talent, the fans or the people working backstage. We all work together. And that is first and foremost, that this is a family."
We'll see what happens with Baker, but it appears she'll remain under contract with AEW for the time being. There does seem to be friction between her and Khan (he always benches wrestlers he's unhappy with), so we'll see how things play out in the coming months.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.