Booker T Questions If Tony Khan Is Stupid Following WWE Saudi Arabia Comment

AEW CEO Tony Khan referring to an upcoming WWE event as "some BS overseas in Saudi Arabia" received a big thumbs down from two-time WWE Hall of Famer and six-time world champion Booker T.

Khan made the disparaging remark about WWE's Crown Jewel show, which is scheduled for November 5 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, during a recent interview after he was asked about AEW's focus on presenting shows in the Northeast. Khan said the region is "the crown jewel of wrestling markets."

Booker's co-host on the "Hall of Fame" podcast, Brad Gilmore, brought up the subject and said that Khan is "not stupid." Booker responded by saying, "Yeah, yeah. But maybe he is in a lot of ways."

Booker chastised Khan for "running his mouth about WWE" at a time when AEW has more than a few internal problems.

"Worry about yourself," he said. "Worry about your company, worry about the turmoil that's going on inside of AEW right now and try to fix that before you start thinking about what WWE is doing."

While Booker added that he has "a lot of respect for Tony Khan," he noted that "sometimes you earn respect, as well. You don't earn it by going out there talking; you earn it by going out there and doing it. ... I think I would have a whole lot more respect for Tony Khan if he handled his business, and we all know what that is; we saw the press conference."

Booker also touched on WWE staging shows in Saudi Arabia, insisting that the Saudi audiences are not responsible for their government's behavior.

"I have always tried to keep entertainment and politics separate," he said, citing his own experience of wrestling overseas. "We've got fans over there and I'm not going to hold those fans accountable for the way their dictators think. I'm just not going to do that."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Hall of Fame" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.