Jim Ross has lauded Tony Khan for navigating an emotionally charged stretch of AEW programming.
AEW recently dedicated consecutive events to celebrating Rebel (Tanea Brooks) during her fight with ALS and honoring The Butcher (Andy Williams) after his sudden passing.
Ross, who shares Oklahoma roots with Rebel, was deeply moved by the company’s “Rebel Heart” edition of Dynamite. During an appearance on Grilling JR, Ross described Khan’s presentation as “absolute genius.”
“I thought what Tony Khan put together on Wednesday night, the Rebel Heart celebration, was absolute genius,” Ross said.
The veteran announcer noted that the presentation resonated with him emotionally while he watched from home.
“And the reason I believe that, I felt it when I watched it. I got emotional a couple of times, and I’m sitting here by myself in my chair watching ‘rasslin like I’m 12 years old again,” Ross said.
Ross also reflected on Williams, describing The Butcher as a multi-talented performer and a “sweetheart.” While Williams was never positioned at the top of AEW’s card, Ross felt he was exactly the type of dependable talent every promotion needs.
With AEW having to manage two emotional situations in such a short timeframe, Ross was also impressed by Khan’s ability to oversee the shows while shouldering much of the creative responsibility alone.
“Tony did a good job there. Think about the fact that these projects are dumped into one person’s lap,” Ross said. “He doesn’t have a booking committee.”
While Ross admitted he has his own reasons for disliking booking committees, he believes AEW’s recent television has shown signs of improvement under Khan’s direction.
“Some of the things he’s been doing lately, how they’ve been formatting the show, has really impressed me — really impressed me. And I’ll say this, they’re building a hell of a talent roster,” Ross said.