Tony Khan Reveals Which Pro Wrestling Legends Were On His AIM Buddy List

AOL Instant Messenger, widely referred to as AIM, revolutionized the way people interacted in the 1990s, specifically online. While you might not be shocked that the current AEW President and CEO Tony Khan was an avid AIM user during his younger years, you may be surprised by the list of wrestling legends he amassed in his own buddy list.

"You know Lou Thesz had an AOL account? He was on my buddy list," Khan told "Busted Open Radio." "And when Lou Thesz would pop up, I would talk to him all the time. He was really nice to me. Brian Pillman [Sr.], DDP [Diamond Dallas Page] — who I obviously talk to, to this day — and a number of others."

During his appearance on the Sirius XM show, Khan described AIM as one of the "early online wrestling communities," and compared it to how fans are able to interact with their favorite wrestlers on Twitter in the modern day. He also disclosed that he would converse "pretty regularly" with Brian Pillman Sr. via America Online (AOL) when he was a kid — Khan now has Pillman Sr.'s son, Brian Pillman Jr., signed to All Elite Wrestling as part of the Varsity Blonds tag team with Griff Garrison.

With technology advancing and AIM becoming a thing of the past, Khan frequently posts and interacts on Twitter, often to promote upcoming shows presented by AEW and Ring Of Honor. Khan purchased Ring of Honor earlier this year, and this Saturday, the organization will return to present its second pay-per-view booked by its new owner, Death Before Dishonor. The event will be headlined by recent AEW arrival Claudio Castagnoli challenging Jonathan Gresham — who recently turned heel on "AEW Rampage" — for the ROH World Championship.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit SiriusXM's Busted Open Radio with a h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.