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After committing multiple segments on the go-home edition of Dynamite to the arrival, return, and fallout of Daniel Garcia officially spurning WWE for a long-term contract with AEW, Tony Khan did a victory lap of sorts during the WrestleDream media call.
Discussing the process of keeping Garcia on the roster despite heavy interest from WWE as they look to load up NXT with premier young talent, TK noted that it was the “Red Death's” efforts that made him such a hit in the promotion and, as a result, a favorite among premier stars like Bryan Danielson and FTR.
“I really like Daniel Garcia, and I completely understand why he wanted to take some time before making a really important decision in his life and career. It’s a life-changing decision, and I understand why somebody would want to reflect on these things, especially with a major contract year looming,” Khan explained via Fightful. “It’s a great beacon to our wrestlers, our staff, and our fans, when they see one of the great young wrestlers in the sport, somebody we have spent time developing, where a lot of our top stars like Bryan Danielson and FTR believe in Daniel Garcia and want to mentor him and work with him. It was great for the morale of the company to have; I believe one of our homegrown stars, Daniel Garcia, was a top independent wrestler when he came to AEW, and we were very familiar with his work. That’s why I wanted to put him in a spot as soon as he got here and work him in and use him at TV wrestler because I knew he was very talented.”
So what was it about Garcia that made him into a potential focal point for AEW moving forward, instead of just a set-up guy or a middle-of-the-roster player? Well, Khan commented on that, too, and had some pretty kind words to say about his work ethic and overall development.
Tony Khan couldn't lose one of AEW's homegrown stars to WWE
Continuing his comments regarding Garcia, Khan celebrated how effective the 26-year-old has been since joining AEW, as he went from an indie guy to one of the promotion's bright young stars based on hard work and execution.
“To see the development over the last three plus years in Danny, we’ve all gotten to watch it together as fans. When Danny came in, he was immediately in big positions wrestling our top stars on television. That showed the confidence I had in him, and AEW had in Danny from the very beginning,” Khan noted. “He continued to grow and develop and build a connection with the fans. You saw that last night and throughout this year. Certainly someone that works hard, loves AEW, wants to be here, is a positive person in the locker room who spreads joy in the company and to the fans, that’s the kind of person you want to keep in AEW. I was thrilled to extend Danny’s contract and have Danny stay in AEW for years to come. It’s great news for AEW, the staff, for Danny personally, and the fans. That’s one thing I’m excited about for the future: getting Danny’s contract settled.”
With Sting retired, Danielson in the final story arch of his full-time career, and other talents like Miro, Shawn Spears, “All Ego” Ethan Page, the Lucha Brothers, and Ricky Starks all either already in WWE or gearing up for a move to The Fed, it's clear AEW needs some new pillars on which to build their product into the future. While only time will tell how high the ceiling is for Garcia, AEW's financial commitment to his future clearly proves they see something special in him.
