Jim Cornette on Tony Khan's Response To William Regal's Post About Neck Injuries

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on William Regal's statement regarding neck injuries in wrestling and the reaction it provoked, particularly among fans of AEW. Jim Cornette critiques Tony Khan's response to the backlash, highlighting the broader issues of safety and the trend of young wrestlers performing dangerous moves that risk serious injury.

Key takeaways

• William Regal's tweet was a pinfall statement on wrestler safety amidst head-dropping chaos.
• Tony Khan claims AEW's daring style is safe, overlooking risks like Nick Gage's empty arena glass brawl.
• In wrestling, the real suplex isn't from the ring but from Twitter's echo chamber of overzealous fans.
• Kenny Omega offers sage advice from his 'professional' perch, despite being more 'dynamite' than deadlift.
• Agents should wrestle for veto power, not just help with booking; a safer ring means smarter decisions.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jim Cornette (Host) · 13 min speaking
• Brian (Host) · 6 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Tony Khan, William Regal, Mark Hulk, Cal Fletcher
2. 3:00 – 6:00: AEW, Tony Khan, William Regal, Adam Cole
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Tony Khan, Ashley Darby, sports
4. 9:00 – 12:00: 2025, AEW, Tony Khan, William Regal

Notable quotes from "Jim Cornette on Tony Khan's Response To William Regal's Post About Neck Injuries"

• Program, the drive-thru, where we talked about William Regal's I hesitate to even call it a tweet. He tweeted it out, but it was a full and wellcraftrafted statement about his experiences with.

  about William Regal · at 0:17

• Say because it came right after Moxley tried to kill poor old Cal Fel Felchure Fletcher whichever I'm now confused which one it is.

  about Cal Fletcher · at 1:12

• Just a insufferable phony wrestling douche. But go ahead. Well, he made his statement and then Tony Khan made an appearance on the Mark Hulk show, pro- wrestling radio show podcast as it's listed here.

  about Tony Khan · at 2:46

• That's one of the things that makes pro wrestling so exciting. In AW, we've been able to have all these great events and we've never had a career-ending injury like that from our wrestling.

  about AEW · at 3:38

• Oh, a classic example there for [ __ ] sake of just ridiculous risking of spinal injuries for stupid bumps into the stairs that aren't even that impressive, much less all the other [ __ ] in the distance and accuracy contest where.

  about Ashley Darby · at 8:06

• I think that's during the postgame celebration. But one last quote here about the match. I thought World's End was great and I thought everything about it was wonderful. And if…

  about World's End · at 8:58

• Hats on. How fantastic a year that was. All our wrestlers are doing well and what AW accomplished in 2025 going into 2026.

  about 2025 · at 9:56

• After their athletic careers are over with. They're not thinking about the future. Transforming themselves into an entrepreneur, a founder, a boss man, a CEO, a mover and shaker, and mover and groover.

  about entrepreneur · at 11:38

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Tony Khan — Person · Referenced leader/executive; subject of critique · 7 mentions · first at 1:52
  Discussed for his public response to William Regal's safety warning and for how AEW manages (or fails to manage) risky in-ring behavior.
• William Regal — Person · Referenced veteran; safety advocate in discussion · 4 mentions · first at 0:22
  His long 'tweet/statement' about neck injuries and advice to younger wrestlers triggers backlash and prompts Tony Khan commentary.
• Mark Hulk — Person · Referenced host/interviewer · 1 mention · first at 2:51
  Identified as the host of the show/podcast where Tony Khan gave the quoted response about Regal and AEW risk-taking.
  Just a insufferable phony wrestling douche. But go ahead. Well, he made his statement and then Tony Khan made an appearance on the Mark Hulk show, pro- wrestling radio show podcast as it's listed here.
• Cal Fletcher — Person · Referenced wrestler (misnamed/uncertain) · 2 mentions · first at 1:14
  Brought up in a confused naming moment tied to a dangerous spot; later clarified as 'Kyle Fletcher' in the match reference.
• Ashley Darby — Person · Referenced wrestler; risk-taking exemplar · 1 mention · first at 8:03
  Raised rhetorically to question whether Tony Khan ever vetoes extreme stunts, highlighting the safety debate.
• Adam Cole — Person · Referenced wrestler; injury/career example · 1 mention · first at 4:19
  Used as an example in a sarcastic exchange about whether injuries are 'career-ending' and about career trajectory.
  Well, to be fair, has Adam Cole's career ended, but whatever.

Companies & orgs

• AEW — Company · Core topic organization · 3 mentions · first at 3:40
  Central promotion being discussed regarding wrestler safety, high-risk style, and Tony Khan's comments about injuries and match quality.
• Pro Wrestling Radio Show — Company · Referenced podcast/show listing · 1 mention · first at 2:53
  Named as the podcast listing associated with 'The Mark Hulk Show' where Tony Khan's comments were sourced.
  Douche. But go ahead. Well, he made his statement and then Tony Khan made an appearance on the Mark Hulk show, pro- wrestling radio show podcast as it's listed here.

Concepts & topics

• sports — Concept · Analogy frame for safety tradeoffs · 1 mention · first at 8:30
  Tony Khan is quoted comparing wrestling safety decisions to balancing athlete health and entertainment across all sports.
  Nevertheless, well, back to Tony Khan. Everything you talk about, these are things you constantly balance in sports, not just AEW, but all sports. Taking care of your athletes…
• entrepreneur — Concept · Ad-read theme; post-career planning concept · 1 mention · first at 11:42
  Presented as what wrestlers (and listeners) should become to plan for the future, bridging the wrestling safety talk into the Shopify sponsorship.
• Attorney General — Concept · Ad-read theme; aspirational business identity · 1 mention · first at 11:47
  Used as part of the pitch that listeners can become business leaders using Shopify, contrasted with wrestlers not planning for life after athletics.
  Future. Transforming themselves into an entrepreneur, a founder, a boss man, a CEO, a mover and shaker, and mover and groover.
• hoveround — Concept · Metaphor/imagery in safety rant · 1 mention · first at 11:27
  Used as a vivid image for the long-term consequences of reckless bumps—ending up in a motorized wheelchair.
  All these fancy Dan maneuvers where they're going to be maneuvering in a hoveround or a Dega motorized wheelchair before long. They're not planning for the future. They're not…

Places & events

• World's End — Event · Referenced event; match quality anchor · 1 mention · first at 9:01
  Tony Khan praises the event and specifically highlights Fletcher vs. Moxley as a favorite match, tying the safety debate to AEW's product.
• 2025 — Event · Referenced time period; AEW performance framing · 3 mentions · first at 9:25
  Used in Tony Khan quote to frame AEW's accomplishments and 'fantastic year' narrative, which the speakers mock as oddly timed.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 All right, Brian, let's move in a different direction here, shall we? Let's let's back up and turn right and and get back to the rrestling now. We can talk about the silly stuff and the silly people saying silly things. And we just did a show a couple days ago, your program, the drive-thru, where we talked about uh William Regal's I I hesitate to even call it a tweet. He tweeted it out, but it was a full and wellcraftrafted statement about his experiences with neck injuries and his recommendations andor advice for the younger generation that is increasingly making a habit out of landing on their heads.

0:47 And we also talked about that just every AEW fanatic uh on Twitter, both of them with the 7 million different accounts each jumped all over poor. He never mentioned any specific company or any specific people. He would just say all of the young wrestlers. But it since it was they struck a nerve as Dennis Condre would say because it came right after Moxley tried to kill poor old Cal Fel Felchure Fletcher whichever I'm now confused which one it is. Oh Kyle tried to kill him with that wingy dingy off the top rope and just planted him on his head. It's a miracle of mother nature that he didn't discapacitate himself.

1:40 And so everybody had struck a nerve. But now the head sicko apparently from what I've heard and I don't know what he said. I haven't seen or heard the comments, but I have understand that Tony Khan, the HSIC head sicko in charge, has got official comments about William Regal's tweet. Did he as a leader should try to calm the situation and settle the people down from attacking the man for expressing a valid viewpoint? What how did Tony handle this?

2:14 And again, I don't know how much of uh the concern was about that or just the general idea of wrestlers hurting themselves, wrestlers landing on their head. This came on the heels of the Kenny Omega statement. Did you see that one?

2:26 Yes. He actually was as as wishywashy and polite and breathy on that as he was normally, but he was somewhat the voice of reason, which again, he's not an he's not an inflammatory, bombastic kind of guy as Kenny. He's just a insufferable phony wrestling douche. But go ahead. Well, he made his statement and then Tony Khan made an appearance on the Mark Hulk show, pro- wrestling radio show podcast as it's listed here.

3:01 Now, I'm sorry. What now? Help me. What? Mark Hulk. I guess that's the host's name.

3:06 Hulk. Hulk. H O K E. The Mark Hulk Show. Pro Wrestling Radio Show podcast is how it says incorporated. Well, he brought up the host of that show, the aforementioned Mr. Ho brought up William Regal's warning, his tweet, and here's what Tony Kh is is all of his all of his shows are pretty hokey. I bet

3:31 pro wrestler Here's Tony Khan's response to it. Pro wrestlers are always taking hard-hitting and high-risk chances. That's one of the things that makes pro wrestling so exciting. In AW, we've been able to have all these great events and we've never had a career-ending injury like that from our wrestling. I don't think AW is any different than any other Wait, hold on. Pump the brakes here for a second. Who said anything about career ending?

4:01 Well, yeah, we Well, to be fair, we don't know what was framed as a question. We don't have the question. We just have the quote.

4:08 Okay. I was going to say is is does it not count if you break your neck and you have some kind of surgery and you're out for two and a half years and you come back. Well, it didn't end his career, but go ahead.

4:19 Well, to be fair, has Adam Cole's career ended, but whatever. Well, he may he may have committed career suicide. He was a suicide blonde, died by his own hand.

4:31 I don't think AW is any different than any other wrestling promotion in the world. The wrestlers want to do their very best and sometimes a promotion will step in. AW and I have at times stepped in and said, "I can't do that. I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want to do that every day or every match, but there are times where it comes up and that's okay. Everything you talk about, these are

4:57 Hold on. Hold on one more second. Ju I'm wondering what the things are first of all that he stepped in and they've set each other on fire. They've run over each other with vehicles. They have drunk each other's blood. They have attempted the bleach pouring. What did he step in and say and the dragging the dragging of the people behind the vehicles. That's a good one. and and much less all the high bumps and furniture etc. What did he ixay? I'm I'm wondering and and and I know you you can't answer that so I won't expect you to.

5:37 I don't know if there is an answer but second I don't know if there is an answer

5:42 but secondly besides you know what has heade this is not something how can I phrase this? It's not something that he should have to xnay because if they have set up a situation where these guys on all these TV shows are telling Tony Khan every move they're going to do in the [ __ ] match in the course of the night. Then that's just insane. Anyway, there ought to be some type of professionalism spread out amongst the roster at least with the the individual agents who should have veto power. But I know Tony doesn't give that to anybody but apparently but himself. But no, the agent in any responsible place that I've ever worked had veto power except if it was the goddamn The Rock or the championship match of the company or whatever, blah blah blah.

6:49 But just over a goddamn move that doesn't make any difference in the in the finish or in who's going over or in with the story being told. It's just I'm going to bust out this thing where I drop him on his head off the top rope. That shouldn't get to Tony Khan. You see what I'm saying? If the boys don't know not to do that, or maybe the guy that wants to give it wants to do it, but the guy that wants to is supposed to take it is like, uh, no. Then the an agent of something of that danger should know about it and should say there's no reason for it because you're already you're going to be fine with all the other stuff you're doing.

7:37 I don't but go ahead. I'm sorry. And I don't know what agents can do. Remember the good old days when Matt Hardy jumped onto his head a couple times on like the same night one after another.

7:47 WELL, NO, NO, NO. UM, I think it was Gavvara [ __ ] helped him drop him on his head, didn't he?

7:55 That's right. That's who he was working with. It was that for you. Yeah, he he knocked him off the top of a forklift.

8:02 Yeah, whatever. Here's the question. Has Tony ever said no to Darby? Oh, a classic example there for [ __ ] sake of just ridiculous risking of spinal injuries for stupid bumps into the stairs that aren't even that impressive, much less all the other [ __ ] in the distance and accuracy contest where they're flinging him places. But and nevertheless,

8:28 well, back to Tony Khan. Everything you talk about, these are things you constantly balance in sports, not just AEW, but all sports. Taking care of your athletes and doing things to protect the health and safety of your athletes to make the sport work. And then also there's a quote here related to the specific match and how many of the football players have to take bumps off the uh uh stadium bleachers through furniture. I think that's during the uh postgame celebration. But one last quote here about the match. I thought World's End was great and I thought everything about it was wonderful. And if anybody was talking about Kyle Fletcher versus John Moxley, that's one of my favorite matches of all time. And it's all subjective. Best match is always in the eye of the beholder. And I do think it's something to be really proud of AW to hang our hats on. How fantastic a year that was. All of our wrestlers are doing

9:31 well. Wait, wait a minute. He's just he's just dangled his participle right into a whole new goddamn statement there, hadn't he? Unless it or did that match take that he was referring to in singular grammar suddenly take a year to complete?

9:48 Again, I'll go back a sentence here. Best match is always in the eye of the beholder. And I do think it's something to be really proud of AEW to hang our hats on. How how fantastic a year that was. All our wrestlers are doing well and what AW accomplished in 2025 going into 2026.

10:14 All our wrestlers are doing well. Osprey, you know, got his neck fused and he'll be back in months. and Swerve just came back from having something done and and the other guy's [ __ ] hurt. Who's that? And

10:27 it's like a week it's a week into the new year and he's answering like someone asked you, "Jim, tell me about 1984." Oh, how fantastic a year that was. It was a long time ago, not last year. It was a very good year. Oh, well, that's uh the quotes from the Tony Khan thing. And again, the William Regal tweet got a lot of people going. Lots of other people in wrestling tweeted out their thoughts,

10:54 but and and and once again, uh, when being asked about that specific issue and and because of that specific reason, Tony didn't mention his name and didn't discuss really anything about it.

11:05 The same way William Regal didn't mention a specific match or what he was specifically talking about that all of a sudden he put this out there.

11:13 But it says something that he was concerned. You know what the problem is, Brian? The problem is a lot of these young whippers snappers that are doing all these fancy Dan maneuvers where they they're going to be maneuvering in a hoveround or a Dega motorized wheelchair before long. They're not planning for the future. They're not setting themselves up for success in business after their athletic careers are over with. They're not thinking about the future. Transforming themselves into an entrepreneur, a founder, a boss man, a a CEO, a mover and shaker, and mover and groover.

11:55 Just like you and me, Brian, we are we are in control of our own domains, our own empires. And you could be too out there in podcast land if you team up WITH SHOPIFY. I KNEW YOU was going to do that. Folks, again, our friends at Shopify are back with us for 2026 because they want us to tell you just how rich and how wealthy and how filthy capitalistic you can get by starting your own business and they're going to get behind you and they're going to shove it right down people's throats until these people say, "Fuck, WE GOT TO GIVE THEM SOME money to get them to go away." No matter what your product

12:39 it won't be exactly like that. Well, you know, I was thinking about that actually. I was thinking about contacting Shopify and starting up a business where I go over and visit people for free and they pay me to leave.

12:52 No, let's not. I don't No, let's not see. There's nothing to see. Nothing to see here.

12:57 That's a money-making idea. That's a money-making idea. I'm telling you, I know a lot of people to be honest, Brian, tell the truth. And I know a lot of the listeners will feel the same way. Don't you know a lot of people that whenever you're around them, you would pay them to leave?

13:14 There may be a few people. Sure. Think about nothing to do with this, but there may be a few people.

13:19 These kind of money-making opportunities are part of what you're going to get involved with when you go to Shopify. Cuz they got the brains for this kind of stuff. And they've got the infrastructure. They can give you all the tools to build your dream store. They give you bricks and mortar and ladles and wheelbarrows and things to stir the cement and slap it on and stick the you'll build your store.

13:45 And boy, that's hard work. So be prepared for some long days virtually and metaphorically metaphorical ladles. And when you choose when you once you get your store built now and make sure to go with the laminate floor, choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match your brand. Let's say your brand's color or you your brand shape or your your brand. You can be handy brandandy. And they've got built-in AI tools that are going to do a lot of this for you. They're going to write product descriptions. If your [ __ ] is [ __ ] well, they'll make it sound like shyola and they're going to help you all along the way with marketing where they're going to create the email and social media campaigns that reach the customers. You'll be you'll be unable.

14:36 You'll be absolutely it'll be impossible for you to avoid mention of your business everywhere around the world until finally people just throw their hands up in the air and say, "Here, take it all. Just get away from me."

14:47 That's not how it works. And it's not a guarantee. Let's not promise people that people will be un unable to avoid the name of their

14:54 let that promise payment down. People who promise people are the luckiest people in the world. And as you grow, we've mentioned before Shopify will grow with you almost like a another arm or possibly a conjoined twin alongside you. And as you get bigger, it will get bigger and then finally one side will begin fighting the other side for dominance in the brain.

15:16 That's not how it works. You'll be able That's not No, that's not how it works.

15:20 But you could handle more orders that way and expand to new markets. Imagine if if you've got four arms instead of two, you could expand to new markets.

15:30 No. Again, the point is, ladies and gentlemen, if you have product and you need an online partner, you need a store that you could trust, good infrastructure infrastructure. Infrastructure. They also have easy check.

15:42 They're big on child. They're big on child labor. E they they are not big on they are not No that's not even in a metaphorical sense folks that's not what it is

15:52 well that that infant structure that is going to build itself. Let's get back on track and back on track with sales and business and commerce help your business online. You need a good online presence like we do from our friends at Shopify.

16:08 Yes. Or we have like we do. You know a lot of people don't think it'd be like it is but it do. I'll tell you what, you're going to have a presence all over the place. You're going to hear that noise. You know what that noise is? That noise is the cash register of your mind. Uh counting up all the money you're going to make with Shopify. And it's not going to cost you, but only $1, only one smackaroon, only one greenback right now. Go to shopify.com/jce and you can sign up for a $1 a month trial period and you can start selling today. Selling like you know what they're going to reach through the computer screen and grab you by the balls and squeeze. You're going to sell like you're going to the electric chair.

16:55 That's not what it feel. That's not what it's going to be. There's not going to be any squeezing and you're going to enjoy.

17:02 It's not going to be the electric chair. You're going to have electric sales. Electric metaphorical sales in the virtual digital sense

17:10 from our friends at Shopify. Jim, electrical, metaphorical, logical, practical. I can sign up your name and I can be so dependable, lyricical. shopify.com/jce $1 a month trial period. Start selling today with Shopify by your side, right? Growing on top of you and it'll take over gradually your arm first and then attached to the rib cage and then pretty soon you're just the the innocent victim in all this. It's the dominant figure and you're kind of the parasite.

17:51 There are no victims. There are no parasites. Just sales sales sales from your friends and ours at Shopify. We trust them. You can too. Shopify.com/jce. A very professional 15 seconds here at the end for our very good friends at Shopify.

18:10 Yes, our conjoined twins. Shopify.com. Well, I guess we ought to Oh, yeah. There's another one. to hit me broadside coming down the sidewalk.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Jim Cornette on Tony Khan's Response To William Regal's Post About Neck Injuries"?

Jim Cornette (Host), Brian (Host).

What is "Jim Cornette on Tony Khan's Response To William Regal's Post About Neck Injuries" about?

The discussion centers on William Regal's statement regarding neck injuries in wrestling and the reaction it provoked, particularly among fans of AEW. Jim Cornette critiques Tony Khan's response to the backlash, highlighting the broader issues of safety and the trend of young wrestlers performing dangerous moves that risk serious injury.

What is mentioned in this Official Jim Cornette episode?

14 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Tony Khan, AEW, William Regal, Mark Hulk, World's End, Cal Fletcher. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Jim Cornette on Tony Khan's Response To William Regal's Post About Neck Injuries"?

The episode runs 18 min; the transcript is about 2,999 words in 49 timestamped sections.

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