Tony Khan Names The Athlete He'd Most Like To See (Back) In An AEW Ring

AEW owner Tony Khan has no shortage of great athletes surrounding him, thanks to not only AEW but his involvement with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Premier League's Fulham FC. But despite being surrounded by all those athletes, when it comes to the one he'd most want in an AEW ring, Khan went in the total opposite direction, when he was asked that exact question during an interview with "Sportico."

"For me, the best person we had and I would love for him to come back any time, would be Shaq [O'Neal]," Khan said. "Shaq's 1-0, but then he's been away from AEW. He disappeared out of the ambulance in 2021 and we haven't seen him since. So I would love to get Shaq back in the ring. He's gotta be one of the all-time greatest stars ever in basketball, and he's undefeated in AEW."

As noted by Khan, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal did have a brief, but memorable run with AEW in 2021, where he was brought in to team with the upstart Jade Cargill against Cody and Red Velvet. The feud culminated in a match on "AEW Dynamite" where Cargill and Shaq emerged victorious after Cargill pinned Velvet. Shaq, however, missed the finish thanks to being put through a table on the floor by Rhodes.

Interestingly enough, another AEW run for Shaq would be vast different, as only Velvet currently remains in AEW. Both Rhodes and Cargill have since moved on to WWE, where Rhodes is currently the Undisputed WWE Champion, while Cargill recently picked up the WWE Women's Championship by defeating Tiffany Stratton at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Sportico" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription