The fallout from the canceled indie matches involving AEW and TNA talent just got a major update — and now Tony Khan has made his stance clear.
During the AEW Dynasty media call on April 9, 2026, Tony Khan addressed the situation surrounding TNA pulling talent from independent shows that featured AEW names. Khan indicated that the decision caught him off guard, especially since, from his understanding, there had already been an agreement in place allowing those appearances to happen.
He also clarified that the idea for these matches didn’t originate from AEW management. Instead, it was MJF and Ricochet who approached him about working the independent events, and he had no objections to either of them participating.
This update shifts the situation further, especially after MJF criticized TNA President Carlos Silva following the cancellation of his scheduled match with Nic Nemeth. That bout had been set for a Create-A-Pro event before being scrapped due to TNA’s reported restrictions on talent working against AEW-affiliated performers. Ricochet was also impacted, as his planned match with Leon Slater was canceled under the same circumstances.
With Khan now confirming that AEW had no issue with these appearances and believed there was mutual understanding in place, the situation points toward a breakdown in coordination between the companies rather than a unified decision.
What was initially shaping up to be a set of solid indie matchups has now turned into a larger dispute about talent freedom, cross-promotional cooperation, and how far companies are willing to go to control outside bookings.
Do you think TNA made the right call by blocking these matches, or should wrestlers have more flexibility to take independent bookings like this? Drop your thoughts and let me know.