Tony Khan Implies WWE Pays For Anti-AEW Twitter Accounts: They ‘Aren’t Real Individuals’

AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter on Friday to denounce many anti-AEW accounts, which he claims “aren’t real individuals” according to an independent study.

In a Twitter thread that was ultimately designed to promote tonight’s AEW Rampage, Khan tweeted “An independent study has confirmed that much of the staunch anti-AEW online community aren’t real individuals, it’s a staff running thousands of accounts + an army of bots to signal boost them. Look closely, these aren’t real people. Who’d pay for such a *wildly* expensive thing?”

Of course, Khan is strongly implying that WWE, with its vast financial resources, has employed an army of burner accounts to promote anti-AEW narratives, which wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened in sports and/or entertainment.

“Ever wonder why so much of the activity of these accounts is retweets and replies? Like who actually has 80% of their activity as straight up retweets?” Khan continued in the thread.

In a tribal and divisive America, pro wrestling—often a microcosm of society—has mirrored that same dynamic amid the wrestling war between WWE and AEW. This has been most evident when it comes to discourse between the two fanbases on social media.

Many members of the wrestling media have planted their flag one way or another, with AEW critic Jim Cornette representing an ardent old-school sentiment, while Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has been something of a champion for AEW. The two venerable wrestling personalities, both in their 60’s, ended their long-standing friendship due to their differences of opinion on AEW, proving you’re never too old to fight over wrestling takes.

Khan has been a colorful, if not polarizing, personality on Twitter, and his latest claim is sure to drum up spicy conversation—and more IWC infighting—among wrestling fans.

For fans concerned about being tricked by AEW bots, there are several entertaining anti-AEW accounts, such as @aewbotches and even @TheJimCornette, whose scathing takes on AEW have far too much passion and levity to be fake. In the interest of fairness, those who enjoy AEW can combat anti-AEW activity by supporting pro-AEW accounts such as @AEWheels and @zerocontextaew. and @allelite_memes.