Tony Khan Comments On Johnny Elite’s AEW Debut – Johnny Elite, formerly known as John Morrison in WWE, made his All Elite Wrestling debut this past Wednesday night on “AEW Dynamite”.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion entered the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament as a “Joker”, and lost to ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe in an opening round match.
Fans had been speculating for days just who the “Joker” might be. A “Joker”, historically in AEW, is a surprise appearance, and often a pro wrestler making their debut with the promotion. In the past, the likes of “Hangman” Adam Page, Matt Sydal and Ruby Soho have all entered the company competing as “Jokers”, traditionally in a Casino Battle Royale.
Though it has been reported that Elite has not agreed to full-time terms with the company, AEW Owner & President Tony Khan weighed in on his appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio ahead of “AEW Rampage” on May 20.
“Oh man, it was great to have Johnny Elite here,” Khan said. “What a great match-up he had with Samoa Joe. It was a great way to make his debut in the Owen [Hart Foundation Tournament]. That was tremendous, and really, I am very glad he was here. He’s a great mentor to some of the young wrestlers in the locker room, and somebody I think fans have looked up to for a long time, and he went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest wrestlers in AEW. One of our great stars, and one of the greatest stars in the history of Ring of Honor – Samoa Joe.”
Before competing on “AEW Dynamite”, Johnny competed at “AAA TripleMania XXX: Monterrey” on April 30 in a three-way tag team match, under the guise of Johnny Caballero. He teamed up with Taurus, as they defeated Dragon Lee & Dralistico and Jack Cartwheel & Laredo Kid.
