Tony Khan Believes These Two Stars Are Polarizing For AEW Fans

All Elite Wrestling made splash after splash in its first few years on television, bringing in top stars from other promotions and putting together one of the most stacked rosters in recent history. And for owner Tony Khan, the balance between raising up young, homegrown stars and mixing established veterans into the fold has provided for palpable tension for the show's fans. 

In a new interview with Uproxx Sports' Raj Prashad, AEW's owner opened up about the promotion's women's division and how he feels the rift between homegrown talent like Dr. Britt Baker and outsiders who have come in from other promotions, like Saraya and Toni Storm, is feeding into a "growing rivalry" within the promotion.

"In particular, Toni Storm and Saraya have been very polarizing to the fans," Khan told the outlet. "They've got great star power and great experience that they brought to AEW and some of their comments and their attitudes towards the homegrown AEW wrestlers who helped build up the company when we launched have done them no favors and made them no friends in the locker room."

Khan said that "a lot of homegrown wrestlers, stars like Dr. Britt Baker and the AEW Women's World Champion, Jamie Hayter, who've been with us from the very first year and are very offended and disrespected by Toni Storm and Saraya and the things that they've said about our homegrown women wrestlers. So I think the free agents have really come in and helped shake things up, and it's certainly made for a heated series of rivalries and intrigue around the championship."