Tony Khan shares his thoughts on Big Bill‘s success in AEW.
At AEW Full Gear, Ricky Starks and Big Bill retained the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a four-way Ladder Match. The victory continued Bill’s remarkable run in the company. The former Big Cass’ career had previously been derailed by his struggles with addiction, but he worked hard to overcome them.
Speaking on the AEW Full Gear post-show media scrum, Big Bill reflected on battling addiction and persevering to get to where he is today. Tony Khan was then asked what compelled him to take a chance on Big Bill when he brought him into the company. He stated that Bill is a phenomenal athlete and person. Khan also noted that people he respects spoke highly of Bill.
“In Bill’s case, Bill’s a phenomenal athlete and a phenomenal person, both,” Khan said. “I really was excited when he came in, I really enjoyed meeting him. He’s obviously somebody that had experience in pro wrestling, and he’s somebody that a lot of people in AEW had really positive experiences with.
“When I met him, I really liked him, and a lot of people who I really trust and admire had really positive things to say about Big Bill. People like Jon Moxley and Diamond Dallas Page, and a lot of other people who I really respect came to me and said, ‘I think you should talk to Bill.’ When I met him, I just really enjoyed talking to him.”
Tony Khan: The Time Felt Right For Big Bill And Ricky Starks
Tony Khan continued by stating that Big Bill has been working hard, and the time felt right for him and Ricky Starks.
“Ever since you first came in, he’s just been working really hard, and it felt like the time and place for ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks and Big Bill,” Tony Khan said. “They’re two people that came from two different wrestling backgrounds, but they bring so much to the table.
“They have different skill sets, but they complement each other, and that can make for great wrestling. So you asked about what I saw in Bill and you asked also about what I’ve seen in other people. I just think it’s really great because in AEW, you have a mix of people from all different backgrounds.”
Tony Khan: I’m Proud Of People Rebuilding Their Careers In AEW
Tony Khan then described how Bill, like others in AEW, have rebuilt their careers in AEW. He made it clear that he takes pride in that.
“Big Bill had built a reputation, he had been on national television before he came in, but then there’s a lot of people in AEW that had been on national television,” Khan said. “There are some people that came here, and I think it’s really cool, and have made a presence for themselves that were on national television and jumped to be here.
“There’s other people that have really rebuilt their careers and started from scratch here. I think that’s really cool. As much as anything, I take pride in that, people rebuilding their careers here and people who’ve come here and worked their way up.”
The full scrum can be seen here:
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Catch up on our coverage of AEW Full Gear here.
