Whilst AEW does indeed have a wellness policy in place, Tony Khan recently made it clear that both Jon Moxley and Jeff Hardy’s individual struggles with addiction are completely different.
The AEW President spoke at today’s Forbidden Door Media Call, where he was asked if the promotion had a wellness policy in place in light of recent happenings within the company. Khan made it clear that the company did indeed have a wellness policy in place, although he noted that he trusts that the majority of the roster uses alcohol responsibly.
“We have a wellness policy, but in the case of drinking, you have to be careful because 99% of the roster drinks responsibly and most people drink responsibly, as you see form advertisements on TV and billboards, that’s the number one thing they ask. We have a wellness policy. As far as testing for alcohol after the shows, I think a lot of people drink after the show is over and I don’t have a policy about that other than we ask people to be safe and responsible. They are totally different things and it’s comparing apples and oranges when you mention the two things like they are the same. That’s why I handled them differently. We have a wellness policy in place and it covers these things, and that’s why we’re here to support somebody when they come to me and they say ‘we have a problem.’ In Jon’s case, he went straight to it, jumped on it, checked himself into rehab because he had a problem.”
-Tony Khan
Khan continued, commenting on the comparisons between the individual struggles of both Moxley and Hardy, highlighting the reasoning behind the different ways in which each situation was handled.
“Jon [Moxley] could not be more responsible in what he did and we could not have been more supportive and there for him, I love him so much, having him back and on the pay-per-view, and looking the way he does and having his family healthy and happy. With Jeff [Hardy], it’s totally different. The way it went down is totally different and that’s why the statements and the way we handled the two things are different. In this case, I don’t think there is any comparison.”
-Tony Khan
Following on from this, the mediator of the call attempted to move on to the next question, however Khan circled back to the previous talking point, making his stance on the two situations clear. Khan additionally commented on the status of Hardy following his arrest, noting that he appears to be doing better.
“Jeff is doing much better. As I understand, Jeff is in treatment. I don’t want to say too much about what is going on because it’s his business, but I’m here for him for whatever he needs. I’m really glad nobody got hurt. What Jeff did, going out and driving, is totally different from the other thing. I don’t like hearing the two compared. I’d be remise if I didn’t give Jeff a lot of credit for now doing the right thing. This is why we said Jeff has to the right thing if he wants to stay with AEW. It’s last chance. Jon didn’t put anybody at risk like that, he wasn’t out drinking and driving. The way it went down is totally different and that’s why I didn’t like hearing it compared. I will say, Jeff is in treatment and doing better. I talked to Matt about it the other day and we’ll be here and we’ll support him for what he needs. This is what he had to do. He had to go to treatment to get us to keep supporting him, and we are.”
-Tony Khan
Hardy is currently scheduled to appear in court for his recent DUI case on July 5.
Moxley on the other hand is now once again performing to the best of his abilities, and the Blackpool Combat Club member is set to face off against NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi on this Sunday’s Forbidden Door PPV.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
