Tony Khan Discusses Marina Shafir’s Progress In AEW Ahead Of Full Gear
Tony Khan has expressed pride in Marina Shafir’s growth within AEW.
Despite initially coming into AEW in December 2021, it wasn’t until Marina Shafir joined the Death Riders that she began making her mark in the company. In fact, when Jon Moxley orchestrated the attack of Bryan Danielson which transitioned the group away from the Blackpool Combat Club, a large portion of fans were surprised to see Shafir by his side. However, in that role, her prominence has only increased, and she’s now preparing for a major world title match with Mercedes Moné. Now, Tony Khan has reflected on watching her journey within AEW.
Speaking in the Full Gear media call, Tony Khan commended Shafir for her work ethic, noting just how much Jon Moxley had been a mentor to her.
“Jon Moxley has been an advocate for Marina Shafir and a mentor to Marina Shafir, and a great partner to Marina Shafir. I think Jon Moxley is very proud of how far Marina has come. I personally am very proud of how far Marina has come. She improved and worked so hard in the ring and outside the ring to become a great wrestler, and now she has the opportunity this Saturday to become the AEW World Champion. Jon’s always believed in Marina and always gone to bat for her, and I know he is as proud as anybody of what she’s accomplished, and she deserves the most of the credit herself because she’s worked so hard. And just like Jon’s always there, Marina is almost always at the shows. She works really hard. She’s earned this opportunity to fight for the World Title against Mercedes Moné at Full Gear this Saturday.”
-Tony Khan
These days, Shafir is a fundamental part of the Death Riders, being arguably second in command behind Moxley himself. Particularly when the group recently had to come to terms with the loss of PAC, Marina became a point of strength for both her teammates and for fans, summarised perfectly when she and Daniel Garcia appeared during Moxley’s WrestleDream match with Mark Davis to encourage him to keep pushing through.
Plus, of late, fans have seen Shafir pop up in Pro Wrestling EVE, becoming the company’s International Champion this past weekend. In a touching moment, the Death Rider dedicated her win to the late Benjamin “PAC” Satterley, and she recently took time to reflect on what “The Bastard” meant to her. You can read her full comments here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Marina Shafir as soon as we hear more.
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