In a recent rapid-fire interview, AEW President Tony Khan revealed his personal favorite heel turn of all time and named the one wrestler from any era that he would sign to AEW if he had the chance.
Khan’s fandom is well-documented, from attending ECW shows as a teenager to his encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling history. His choices for his all-time favorites reflect his appreciation for the classic eras of the sport and the larger-than-life superstars who defined them.
A Favorite Childhood Moment
When asked by Josh Martinez on the Superstar Crossover podcast to name his favorite heel turn, Khan pointed to a pivotal moment from his childhood that left a lasting impression on him: Ric Flair turning on Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1995.
“So I was a kid… I was a big fan of, obviously, everyone knows Sting and Ric Flair, sure, and I in when I was 12 years old. I guess I would have just turned it was right after my 13th birthday, so I just turned 13 when Ric Flair turned on Sting and formed a new Horsemen with Brian Pillman and Arn Anderson, and they turned on Sting at Halloween Havoc. I was just turned 13, and I was, like, so excited about that. It was really, really cool. And I loved Ric Flair. And, you know, I was happy to see Ric Flair and Sting as a team, but I really wanted to see Ric Flair be a bad guy. I want to see Ric Flair be a villain, be a heel, be the evil guy he was back then on TBS and TNT. So I loved when Ric Flair turned on Sting. I thought that was really cool.”
The Biggest Star of All Time
When asked which one wrestler, living or dead, he would sign to AEW in their prime, Khan’s answer was immediate and definitive: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. He went on to call Austin the “greatest wrestling star of all time.”
“Steve Austin… If you get Steve Austin in the 90s, and have Steve Austin for the decade of the 90s, he’s the greatest ever. He’s a great human I love Steve Austin. He was very nice to me. Haven’t seen him in a long time… He was very kind to have me on his show after the original Double or Nothing. And I am the one of the biggest fans of his. And I think Steve Austin’s the biggest wrestling star of all time, and certainly, if you could pick any era of person, and just if you had Steve Austin with you throughout the 90s, even though his persona evolved from Stunning Steve to Superstar Steve to the Ringmaster to Stone Cold Steve Austin. He’s one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Superstar Crossover with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
