Ariel Helwani Lashes Out At Tony Khan Following Interview

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Helwani threw some shade on the interview with AEW's owner. The combat sports journalist called the encounter "frustrating" and "not so fun."

“He didn’t want to answer anything,” Helwani said. “You’re going to come on and promote X, Y, and Z, great. And I’ll play that dance with you. I did, at the beginning. But you got to give us something, to not even tell me how you were feeling. I’m not asking for specifics, alright fine I am, but is Punk going to wrestle for you, is he coming back, you don’t want to get into it, fine. But tell me how you were feeling. Give me something.”

Helwani believed Khan didn't conduct himself correctly during the interview. He felt that, in return for the platform he's given to Khan, the AEW owner should provide a tidbit or something in return.

Look at some of the great promoters over the last 30 years. There’s a way of giving us the answer, even though it’s not the answer I want, but you’re giving us some sort of answer, something to chew on, as opposed to just shutting it all down. Not very enjoyable,” Helwani said.

Helwani continued his tangent against AEW's owner by accusing Khan of not trusting him. Essentially, Helwani's belief is that Khan specifically wouldn't talk about these topics because of him.

This is me just shooting right here. I feel like Tony Khan doesn’t trust me. I feel like he doesn’t really like me. And I feel like he came in there with his guard super up, and didn’t want to give me any sort of morsel, because he thought that if he opened the door a little bit, I would ask X, Y, and Z," Helwani claimed.

Helwani continued his rant against Khan, going so far as to criticize fans who believed the AEW product superior to WWE. However, the reason why Khan didn't speak is rather straightforward.

Khan didn't go into specifics with Helwani because he hasn't gone into specifics with anyone. In regards to the CM Punk vs. The Elite situation, Khan likely can't talk about it given the potential legal issues at play.

It's understandable that Helwani may have found the experience frustrating. However, lashing out may have not been the best solution to the situation.