Tony Khan Compares AEW Fans Booing Cody Rhodes To WWE Fans Booing John Cena
AEW President Tony Khan recently made an appearance on Wrestling Observer Live. It was recently reported that the "Forbidden Door" between AEW and Impact has been closed. Khan commented on what the current status of their relationship with Impact is.
"It's still open to do stuff. I like those guys a lot, and we've done a lot of great stuff. We don't have anything booked right now, and that's different than how it had been for the last year or so because for most of 2021, we had stuff on paper planned, and we don't really have anything locked in now, but that's no reason we couldn't come up with something. Don [Callis] and I talk pretty regularly, and I've enjoyed going to Nashville and working with those guys. My post production office is literally upstairs from where they tape."
A polarizing figure in AEW right now has been AEW EVP Cody Rhodes. Rhodes has been the subject of mixed reactions at AEW shows with fans booing him at one point in a match to then cheering for him later on. Khan discussed the crowd reaction Rhodes has received and how he deals with it as a booker.
"It's been a long time since it was the opposite of the intended reaction. I've known what the reaction is for a long time, and I think it's very polarizing," Khan stated. "It's not all one side. I think it's a mix of the crowd, and it's very similar to John in terms of how you hear a split, and there's a ton of women and kids that are huge fans and some of the guys booing, but people are still really buying Cody. And in the right moments, they do cheer him. And we saw that when he saved PAC from Malakai and Andrade.
"There was a huge Cody chant, and in that context, people were really excited to see him, and the truth is I do really think the people really like Cody. When John Cena was a full-time wrestler, he's one of the all time great wrestling stars and people really liked to see him too. And, of course, that reaction, in time, became more generally positive, but still, obviously, people only have grown to care more and more about John Cena. So I do think people are very emotionally invested in Cody one way or another, which is a very good thing."