Tony Khan is now at the center of a serious accusation after a new interview dropped claiming that talent who leave AEW for WWE are hit with coordinated online backlash — and that it isn’t organic.
During an appearance on BodySlam.net’s podcast with Famous Davis, Nick LoPiccolo didn’t hold back while discussing the pattern of negativity surrounding former AEW names. The conversation started around fan backlash toward wrestlers like Blake Monroe, but quickly shifted into something much bigger — alleged organized campaigns targeting talent after they exit the company.
According to LoPiccolo, the negativity fans see online isn’t random. He pointed to repeated waves of criticism aimed at wrestlers like Jade Cargill, CM Punk, and Miro as examples of what he believes is a coordinated effort.
“So what happens is that Tony Khan pays for troll farms and he pays for these bots, he pays for these social media attacks, and he pays for negative waves of Twitter attention to be… what’s the word… focused.”
LoPiccolo framed this as an ongoing pattern, not a one-off situation. He stressed that the attacks seem to follow talent who leave AEW, especially those who move on to WWE, and claimed the behavior is largely concentrated on social media platforms.
“Sometimes it’s more obvious than others, but it’s on-going. It’s just on Twitter. It’s only on Twitter… and he pays for these things, and it’s a wave of negative harassment to anyone that leaves that company.”
He also tied the issue to personal experience, saying he noticed similar waves directed at himself and eventually called it out publicly. From his perspective, this isn’t something hidden behind the scenes — he believes people within the industry are aware of it.
“It was a wave of negative harassment around me back in July… and then I figured it out, I called it out… they all know it.”
The claims didn’t stop at just identifying a pattern. LoPiccolo went further, arguing that these alleged campaigns can have real consequences for the talent involved, especially when it comes to mental health.
“For the women… it is really, really hurtful… for the men too… it causes psychological damage… but it’s on-going.”
Despite the severity of the accusation, LoPiccolo made it clear he isn’t backing down or worried about potential fallout. He addressed the possibility of legal action directly and doubled down on his stance.
“I’m not worried about being sued… if there’s discovery… there’s no way they would sue me… because I’m right.”
At the center of all this is a claim that cuts right to the core of the wrestling industry’s ongoing AEW vs. WWE tension — that talent who leave one side are being targeted in a deliberate way once they cross over.
That claim lines up with what fans have already seen play out online. Both Jade Cargill and Blake Monroe were very vocal on social media after joining WWE, and both were quickly met with waves of backlash from accounts pushing anti-WWE narratives, adding fuel to the idea that these reactions may not be entirely organic.
Do you think there’s any truth to claims of coordinated online attacks against wrestlers who leave AEW, or is this just part of the normal fan reaction in today’s social media landscape? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know.
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