There are moments where we’re faced with something that can help us look at ourselves and find a way to learn, grow, and adapt.
CM Punk has given Tony Kahn a couple of those moments, and after the last incident when Kahn fired him there’s a couple of directions Kahn could go with this.
Tony Kahn Needs to Focus on Being Respected Not Liked According to Al Snow
On one hand, he did the right thing if Punk was being so disruptive and tried to attack him, but it’s important to look at why Punk felt comfortable doing that.
There have been stories where the talent have threatened Vince McMahon as well as when Bret Hart knocked him out following the Montreal Screw Job, and we can’t forget the story where Old Anderson had a wrestler so pissed the wrestler pulled a gun out of his bag and pointed it at Anderson’s back as he walked away.
When told of the incident, Anderson reportedly asked the wrestler that told him about it why they didn’t say anything, and the wrestler told him they wanted to see if he’d shoot Anderson.
Definitely not the safest working environment, but what can Kahn learn from this? Al Snow made a great point about Kahn needing to work on being respected instead of liked.
Different approach
When being interviewed by Alfred Konuwa for a Forbes story promoting the OVW documentary show “Wrestlers” that premiered on Netflix, the topic of Kahn and Punk came up.
AL Snow has wrestled in WWE, ECW, TNA, and others and his wrestling knowledge is on a level that put him in rarified air, and since taking over OVW he’s grown the company and added his wrestling school as an accredited school.
He’s practically a walking master class with others like Vince McMahon, Jim Cornette, and more, and it’s always great to hear his insight and stories.
In the Forbes interview, he explained how Tony Kahn needs to focus on being respected instead of liked by the locker room.
“Punk’s got a very strong personality. The problem with Punk is you have to have strong leadership, and you have to have as strong a personality as the talent do. And that’s where things can go astray.
“I think Tony Khan’s a really good guy, but I think for the sake of AEW in these situations—they always come up, the Punk situation is not an unusual circumstance—we’ve had those type of things happen here. But there’s a certain modicum of respect that I have, and as a result, I’m able to direct those people even when those situations occur. I don’t worry about being liked, I worry about being respected. I think Tony wants to be liked, and he should be more focused on being respected. There were lots of times I didn’t like Vince McMahon. He can be an incredible bully. He could be nasty. I’ve always respected him. Always.”
What do you think about Snow’s opinion? Let us know in the comments below.
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