5 AEW Rules Changed By Tony Khan

With plenty of things having shifted since the company began, there are some rules that have been changed by AEW CEO Tony Khan.

From backstage parameters to keeping careful track of wins and losses that fell by the wayside, there are some notable rules that have been changed in AEW in the past few years.

Here are five AEW rules that have been changed by Tony Khan.

5. Rankings Scrapped

An original aspect of AEW was that ‘wins and losses matter’ – so much so that there was an official AEW ranking system. Noting the roster’s win/loss records, there were weekly graphics updating the lists posted each week, and title shots were dependent on being ranked highly.

However, initially abandoned in September 2022, it did return briefly in January 2024 but was quietly abandoned thereafter without fanfare.

Also, if you want to look up the individual wins and losses record for any AEW star right now, the data isn’t listed on the AEW website roster page like it used to be either.

Potentially used in the future again as a plot device – with the 2024 return later noted as being a vehicle for specifically the AEW World Championship picture – rankings could always make their way back but have been officially scrapped since April 2024.

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4. Casino Gauntlet Contract Cash-In Change

In AEW, capturing victory in a Casino Gauntlet match could earn you a guaranteed title shot via a special contract that allowed the winner to elect the time and place to ‘cash it in’ – essentially the equivalent of WWE’s Money in the Bank.

However, after some past shenanigans from MJF, Tony Khan adjusted the rule for Casino Gauntlet contracts.

Now requiring a minimum one-week notice ahead of the cash-in, it was noted the move protected the integrity of the title in addition to hoping to prevent any World Title changes based on tomfoolery.

While MJF continues to hold a Casino Gauntlet contract, he has yet to reveal his plans for cashing it in.

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3. New Women’s Tag Team Division

With the introduction of the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship, Tony Khan effectively introduced an entirely new women’s division to AEW.

Able to showcase tag team wrestling at a high level, there are numerous AEW stars that have held tag team gold in the past or have experience working together in teams.

With the ability to create brand new pairings like Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir as well as continue to feature teams like Skye Blue and Julia Hart who were already a tandem before the titles were introduced, there has been a lot of fun on the road to determine the inaugural winners.

It has been confirmed that the inaugural title holders will be crowned at AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming this Wednesday, December 10 between finalists Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron (The Babes of Wrath) and Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa (The Timeless Love Bombs).

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2. Banned Moves List

At the beginning of AEW, it seemed that the company was going to be a spot for veterans and young talent alike to stretch their creative skills.

Along with initial freedom eventually came some parameters around moves that are now widely considered “banned” in AEW.

According to a report from Fightful back in 2023, unprotected chair shots to the head, shots to the back of the head, buckle bombs, seizure sells and most crowd interactions were considered to be banned.

With a separate set of items that required pre-approval including high risk dives, top rope moves and choking, it seems that to this day there remains a set of banned moves in AEW.

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1. Cross-Promotional Partnerships

While there was a previous working relationship between TNA and AEW, their collaboration came to an end in 2021.

AEW has gone on to build relationships with several other promotions including NJPW, CMLL and STARDOM with some talent and event sharing between the companies.

With the ‘Forbidden Door’ concept waning a bit as of late and with now frequent crossovers between WWE and TNA Wrestling, AEW could potentially look to follow suit.

Seemingly set to do war soon, Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada could be a pair of NJPW rivals turned AEW stars that end up coming to blows in Japan rather than the States.

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