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AEW's Tony Khan refuses to comment on "unsourced" allegations against Chris Jericho

AEW's Tony Khan refuses to comment on "unsourced" allegations against Chris Jericho
Has Chris Jericho's Time in AEW Added to His Wrestling Legacy?
Maven - Sports Illustrated National / VideoElephant

The owner of All Elite Wrestling Tony Khan has commented on the sexual misconduct allegations that have been aimed at one of his top stars Chris Jericho in recent days.

Accusations against Jericho have been made by journalist Nick Hausman who claimed on a podcast that there are issues with the veteran wrestler backstage and likened him to the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

Following the Worlds End pay-per-view on Saturday, Khan was asked by USA Today at the post-show press conference if Jericho, who was one of the first major stars to join the company in 2019, has ever been investigated for sexual misconduct during his tenure.

Khan responded by saying that he could not comment on any "unsourced internet rumors" and made a point of reiterating his previous comments on AEW's safety policies.

Earlier Khan was asked by Pro Wrestling Illustrated about wrestler's safety concerns. The 41-year-old, who was wearing a comedy hat and oversized glasses, responded by saying: "AEW is the safest company in the world. And we have the best track record in safety...any time anyone has any kind of complaint, we have an open door, they can say it to me or anyone in the office and we would look into it."

"I think it applies to women and men and is something we’re really serious about. We’ve had a policy in place. I think anytime where there’s been something like that we would do everything we can to prevent it. Well certainly if there was anything that came to light to me I would take it to the disciplinary committee. I think our disciplinary committee has been doing a great job and everybody knows they have an open line to me or anybody on that committee."

The accusations started back on Christmas Day when Jericho, real name Chris Irvine, got into a dispute with Hausman over NDAs which led Hausman to make the comments about the wrestler.

He said: "There are issues with Chris behind the scenes, where I know a lot of people who have been hurt by Chris and his actions. There are a lot of questionable stories about Chris that will find their way out over time and when people are ready to hear those stories, will cast him in a different light.”

He added: "I mean look, Harvey Weinstein won a lot of Oscars, Harvey Weinstein produced a lot of popular films. Harvey Weinstein is now in jail. I’m not saying that is happening to Chris, but the narrative can quickly turn if you are hiding a lot of skeletons in your closet.“

Further speculation was fueled when wrestler Kylie Rae, who left AEW shortly after it was launched, posted a heart emoji in response to a thread making claims against the 53-year-old.

Jericho was booed during his match at the Worlds End PPV with the YouTube comments for the press conference also having to be reportedly turned off due to it getting flooded with comments about him.

Jericho is yet to publicly comment on the allegations.

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