Tony Khan may have launched AEW as a response to Vince McMahons failed XFL rebootbut according to wrestling veteran Konnan, the metaphor mightve flipped back around.
Speaking on the Keepin It 100 podcast, Konnan drew a comparison between WWE and AEW, stating that WWE is still the dominant forcelike the NFLand AEW is still the underdog, comparing it directly to the XFL.
His comments come years after Tony Khan publicly criticized Vince McMahons decision to relaunch the XFL in 2018, calling it a terrible idea. Speaking to Ilana Golan in 2025, Khan explained that watching the XFL fail reaffirmed his belief that wrestlingnot footballneeded a strong secondary league.
Konnans analogy hits hard, especially given Tony Khans original stance on why the XFL was doomed. While AEW has changed the wrestling landscape in many ways, questions remain about whether it can ever truly compete with WWE on a global scaleor if its destined to play second fiddle.
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Is AEW still the XFL to WWEs NFL or is it time to stop comparing the two? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
