AEW: Tony Khan on His Praise of Ricochet’s Heel Character Work in AEW, Backstage Update Debunking Rumors of Mercedes Mone Having Creative Control in AEW & NJPW, More News

May 2, 2025

Tony Khan Comments on His Praise of Ricochet for His Heel Character Work & Hoping Ricochet Stays With AEW “Forever”

Z100 New York held a recent interview with AEW CEO Tony Khan. One of the topics discussed included Khan’s thoughts about his praise of Ricochet’s current heel run and character work in AEW and hoping that Ricocket will be with AEW “forever.”

“I was feeling it before the Continental Classic and then I built it into the Continental Classic if you look how everything evolved. If you look at the opponents he wrestled and the timing of it, he’s fantastic. He’s an incredible wrestler, he’s also a great talker and he has a great personality and it’s about giving him an opportunity to showcase that. As a matchmaker, I put him in situations where he would not only be able to showcase that Ricochet is one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet, which he is, but also knowing that if you’re going to put a guy in his final matches in the Continental Classic in Hammerstein Saturday night against Will Ospreay and then Sunday night on the Christmas episode against Darby Allin, those are the two most popular stars with young fans that you could possibly put him in with. I was very cognizant of how this was going to play out and I thought it would be very smart to lean into it. He’s certainly really leaned into it and has found himself and he’s building one of the best characters I think in wrestling, which is the villain Ricochet that we see on TV right now. He’s one of the most compelling and interesting people in wrestling in my personal opinion. You ask wrestling fans all over the world to name a top 20, if you asked a million fans, you’d probably get 999,999 different top 20s. I think it’s important to see it’s all in the eye of the beholder, but Ricochet is one of the top stars to me right now. A lot of that came through the Continental Classic and I think as the tournament went on, he became darker and darker by design. He’s done a fantastic job with it and I’m incredibly impressed with him. I’m proud that AEW has Ricochet on our roster for years to come and hopefully forever because that guy is a star. I love working with him and I think Trevor is one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Backstage Update Debunking Rumors of Mercedes Mone Having Creative Control in AEW & NJPW

Figthful Select reported that their sources within AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling stated that despite constant online rumors, Mercedes Mone does not have any actual creative control power in either company.

Those spoken to reportedly stated that Mone has not turned down any plans involving her losing due to this has been something that hasn’t even been broached for her. One source spoken to reportedly stated that Mone’s public claims of having control over her character are likely just in character. This same source reportedly stated “She’s working the mic, not the match outcomes.”

Another source spoken to reportedly stated that Mone once went out of her way to change the finish mid-match to specially lose during her match against Willow Nightingale after suffering a serious injury. This same source reportedly stated that this situation alone proves she is not “ducking defeat” or protecting her record behind the scenes.

AEW News & Notes

The Associated Press recently listed MJF among their top 11 breakout actors to watch in this year’s summer movies.

Adam Cole recently announced that he will be making an appearance at the
Magic: The Gathering x FINAL FANTASY showcase panel at this year’s PAX East event on May 10th in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jon Moxley surpassed the milestone of 200 days as the current AEW World Champion as of Thursday. Moxley’s current reign is the fourth longest AEW World title reign in AEW history.

As noted before, Thekla was “fired” from Stardom at this past Sunday’s All Star Grand Queendom 2025 event in Yokohama, Japan and she is currently expected to be heading to AEW for the next destination in her wrestling career. Thekla recently responded on Twitter about her recent departure from Stardom stating “off to new lands ✈️” and posted a photo of her holding her passport.

In a recent interview with The Daily Star, Bryan Danielson gave his thoughts about who would be his choices in AEW to build a wrestling company around. Danielson stated “At this stage, gosh, I’d want Will Ospreay for sure. I’d want Swerve Strickland. I’m going to say four. Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega. I would want to kind of base my company around, those four people. Then there’s younger people who- there’s MJF, there’s hHngman. There’s like these people who I would want in the picture. Zack Sabre Jr. I would, I would get, because that’s my jam.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

In a recent interview with Fightful’s Grapsody, Brody King gave his thoughts about the change from House of Black to Hounds of Hell group for him, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart. King stated “House of Black ended pretty, kind of suddenly, I guess. Unfortunately. I had a great time doing House of Black. Nothing but respect for those guys, they are my brothers forever. Now, we’re onto Hounds of Hell and I feel that’s more the most authentic version of myself. I feel I’m breeding my band God’s Hate with wrestling more. What you see is what you get and that’s kind of the person I am outside of wrestling as well.” King also gave his thoughts about the differences between the two groups in AEW. King stated “It’s more based in reality. We’re more human, if you will. You can see a different side of myself, Julia, and Buddy that was kind of more in the smoke and mystique of House of Black.” King also stated that the Hounds of Hell is a collaboration of ideas between him and Matthews in terms of the visuals and presentation. (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

A recent issue of the Mone Mag fan newsletter featured Mercedes Mone’s thoughts about her match against Athena in the Semifinals of this year’s Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Cup tournament and her interest in going after Athena’s ROH Women’s World Championship. Mone stated “Just over a year ago, I made my AEW debut at TD Garden, and returning now feels like a full-circle moment. This time, I stepped into the ring with a new vibe, a new energy, and a fierce determination that can only come from growth and experience. Facing Athena was not just a match, but a dream come true. I’ve admired her since our indie days—her creativity and innovation in the ring are truly unmatched. I still remember the excitement when Sara Del Rey told me Athena had signed to NXT. I was eager to one day share the ring with her, and finally, that dream became a reality at this incredible event. Let me tell you, this match was one for the books! Athena is a powerhouse, and after stepping back from the curtain, all I could think was, wow! Imagine the incredible stories we could tell if we had a pay-per-view match together. That’s something I can’t wait to build towards in the future. While she’s rocked that ROH title for over 800 days, I can’t help but think how great it would look around my waist.”

ACTION Wrestling recently announced one new match for the card of their co-promoted ACTION DEAN~!!!2 event with AEW on May 24th in Glendale, Arizona: