Tony Khan has signed numerous ex-WWE stars to AEW following their departures or releases. Many of these signings have gone on to achieve major success in the promotion, including Stokely.
One of AEW’s major stars and long-time veterans, Dax Harwood, recently revealed that Tony Khan signed him at his request. Speaking on the Beyond the Bell podcast, Harwood shared that during their time in WWE, they frequently asked for their release. The Head of Creative asked them what they wanted to do next. Harwood and his tag team partner requested to be paired with Stokely, who was then in NXT under the name Malcolm Bivens. However, their request was denied, with the explanation that Stokely was going in a different direction.
Their wish was eventually granted by Tony Khan after they joined AEW. Harwood explained,
“Fast forward, we knew that we were wrapping things up with Tully Blanchard. I talked to Tony, and I said, ‘Hey, I think there’s this guy in NXT who’s an incredible mouthpiece. He can bump his ass off, and he’s very entertaining. I think he’d be a great gift for us, and I think we could benefit from him being our manager.’ So Tony hired him at my request, and we were supposed to immediately start teaming up together.”
He continued,
“They started liking us, and we got adored by the fans. So WWE didn’t want to bring in Stokely to be with us at that time, but we had already gotten him the job. He went on to do a few things, be with a few people—it didn’t work out.”
Harwood also revealed some insight into the dynamics around Stokely before he signed with Tony Khan. He mentioned that people around Stokely were jealous because he was outshining them.
With a touch of humor, Harwood took a playful jab at Stokely’s bald head and reflected on how fortunate they are to have him.
“I think it didn’t work out because some of the people he was with were a little upset that he was outshining them because he’s a small guy, bald, short, gets no hoes. We allow him to do most of the speaking because we know what he brings to the table as far as being a whole other tool for FTR. We’re lucky to have him, man, and I think he’s the best in the world at what he does right now.”
Fans love to see the three of them working together under the creative leadership of Tony Khan, and their chemistry continues to be a highlight in AEW programming.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/news-tony-khan-signed-former-wwe-star-aew-big-request-reveals-veteran
