“Rip aedub cowards”- Wrestling fans react as ‘Tony fumbled’ chants break out on NXT with former AEW star headlining the show

In the wake of Ricky Saints competing in his first match on NXT, those in attendance let Tony Khan know that he dropped the ball.

“Rip aedub cowards”- Wrestling fans react as ‘Tony fumbled’ chants break out on NXT with former AEW star headlining the show

Tony Khan's name chanted during WWE NXT [via- Wrestling News and JulianWks/@X]

Tony Khan caught some strays on NXT this week. The AEW CEO’s name was chanted by fans in attendance in a way he wouldn’t like it. In the main event, Ricky Saints, formerly Ricky Starks, made his NXT in-ring debut in a tag team match, partnering Je’Von Evans against Ethan Page and Wes Lee.

As the action spilled to the ringside area, a large section of fans started chanting, “Tony fumbled.” It was certainly a dig at Khan for his mishandling of Saints, who was kept off AEW programming for almost 10 months without any concrete rationale behind the snub. The Absolute One has stated during interviews that he wasn’t injured during that time as some had thought.

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By August, a report claimed that AEW had no long-term plans for the 35-year-old wrestler. In November, Ricky was spotted backstage at AEW Full Gear pay-per-view, evoking speculation among fans that his deadlock with the company was resolved. However, that wasn’t the case.

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Saints eventually parted ways with his former workplace earlier this month. A day after he left AEW, the Crescent City Charmer appeared on NXT and was ultimately signed to a contract. He just had his first match on the brand. WWE sources were keeping an eye on Saints since last year.

He explained on the Busted Open Radio podcast that some company veterans in AEW unnecessarily interfered in his creative plans. Moreover, when CM Punk was fired from the company, Ricky was upset, and his relations with the Tony Khan-led promotion worsened. To this day, the fans believe that his infamous segment with Adam Copeland was exactly what started his downfall in AEW. Cope called Saints a “vanilla midget Rock rip-off.”

Fans troll Tony Khan after his unexpected mention on WWENXT

The internet was quick to catch on to the notorious Tony Khan chants during NXT. A bunch of the folks hilariously credited Ricky Saints for not bursting into laughter while the fans were trolling his former boss.

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Tony Khan [via- WrestleZone]

A few even termed those chants “justified,” which was a dig at Tony’s social media jargon that he so often repeats in his posts. A fan claimed that this should become a norm and be chanted at the AEW CEO every time he books his talent unjustly.

Over the past few months, a number of stars have left the company, including Miro and Malakai Black. Furthermore, Rey Fenix has also been held back by Tony for a while despite the luchador’s will to quit AEW.

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