This past June, Brody King made headlines when he wore an "Abolish ICE" shirt to the ring at AEW Grand Slam Mexico, which supports a political movement that seeks the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Since its inception in 2019, AEW has allowed its wrestlers to express their views freely in the ring, with top stars such as "Hangman" Adam Page openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community through the gear he wears. At the AEW All Out Media Scrum this past weekend,company President Tony Khan provided his thoughts on wrestlers engaging in activism, explaining that talent should feel comfortable advocating for what they believe in, regardless if the promotionalignswith their views or not.
"You guys are representing your authentic selves and you're representing yourselves personally, not necessarily the views of the company. But I think something great about AEW is that the wrestlers really bring their true selves to the ring. And I know that's who you are and I'm not going to try to make you change what you are and what you believe."
During the press conference, King complimented Khan for creating a safe space for performers to stand up for their beliefs and claimed that AEW's reputation has not been negatively affected by the advocacy of its wrestlers.
"I think it's really important to be able to express your voice with whatever platform you have in life ... I don't think any of us are going out there and doing anything that would damage the reputation of the company or damage the reputation of Tony. So, I think everything that people like myself or Hangman or like others that have said something in the past have done is all for the betterment of humanity in general."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
