Ever since news broke that Cash Wheeler, one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR, had been arrested in Orlando, Florida for third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for a late July road rage incident, fans the world over – literally – have wanted to know what Tony Khan had to say on the matter and how it could affect his spot on the All In card later this month.
On Tuesday, August 22nd, fans at least got the answer to the former, as, on the AEW All In media call, Khan let it be known that he is aware of the situation and is monitoring it moving forward.
“As for things that have happened outside of the ring, I can't comment on the specifics at this time because I still don't know everything,” Tony Khan said via Fightful. “We're still learning facts. Based on the information we have at this time, we're still keeping an eye on that situation. At this time, I think it's a very inconclusive situation. It differs from other times where we've come in and weighed in or acted on a situation based on the evidence because, in this case, with everything we're looking at, I don't think we have those facts right now. At this point, I think it's rather inconclusive. I do very much look forward to the match, and we'll keep an eye out throughout this weekend and as long as it's a pending situation.”
Asked how long he's known about Wheeler's arrest, which is based on an incident from the end of July, Khan admits it hasn't been long, but he's currently in the process of gathering all of the facts before he takes any further actions moving forward.
“Because of the nature of it, I'll be honest, it's not like I've known for a long time, but on the other hand, I have tried to gather all the facts and information,” Khan said. “I still think we don't have all the facts here. I don't want to comment too much on the situation, but we're still gathering information and that's what I've been trying to do for several days.”
Is there still a possibility that Wheeler's actions could impact that “dream match” between the Young Bucks and FTR at All In? It's impossible to know, but Khan did note to expect some changes on the card moving forward, which isn't ideal for a show that's less than a week away.
Tony Khan: Expect further changes to the All In card before Sunday.
Elsewhere in his media call ahead of All In, Tony Khan noted that, despite having only announced eight matches for All In so far, which would make the show one of the lightest Pay-Per-View cards in AEW history, fans should expect to see more changes to the show before it kicks off on Sunday afternoon, as the company has more than a few performers who are still up in the air status wise.
“I expect more changes. They are not changes I wanted to make or planned to make,” Tony Khan said via Fightful. “I'm not talking about the World Championship match or even the World Tag Team Title match. There will probably be some other changes to the card necessitated by things happening in the real world. Stuff, in some cases, stuff that is nobody's fault, but stuff that is not related to the world of professional wrestling. I am going to try to work through this week to make it as strong as possible and hopefully make the card better than it had been. There will be changes to the card. I plan to add something, and I might have to make some changes in the body of the card. They are not changes that will change the quality of the show and I'm glad the big matches are in such a good position right now. After you see some changes, whether it's the scrum or whenever, I can talk to you more about when and why I decided to do those. It's not like they were things where even a week or two I knew about or was expecting to have to change. That's part of pro wrestling.”
Oh goodness, what could that mean? Well, according to Fightful Select – via Wrestle Purists – Rey Fenix is expected to miss the show, as he is reportedly having visa/travel issues that will all but surely prevent him from making his return to England for the first time since 2019. Is Fenix, however, the only performer experiencing that issue? I guess fans will have to keep an eye on AEW television this Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to find out.
As of Today, Rey Fenix is no longer planned for his AEW All In match. But there are plans in place to explain it.
The indication given was that Fenix’s absence was travel or visa related, as opposed to an injury, but that has yet to be confirmed.
– @FightfulSelect pic.twitter.com/0TENIHcq1k
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) August 22, 2023
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