Tony Khan wore a neck brace to sell the angle at the end of Dynamite where The Young Bucks gave him a stuff piledriver, NFL media reacts

AEW President Tony Khan wore a neck brace during the NFL Draft as a nod to selling the angle at the end of Dynamite on Wednesday where he took a stuff piledriver from The Young Bucks.

The decision to sell the injury the next day at the NFL Draft was noted by media. Pat McAfee referenced it on his show. A panelist noted that Khan was turning his neck back and forth anyway, despite the neck brace, and wasn’t particularly convincing that he was nursing a serious neck issue.

Yahoo Sports referred to it as “an amusing sporting crossover” and provided the backstory.

Sports Illustrated took a tongue-in-cheek tone, writing: “The All Elite Wrestling owner and Jacksonville Jaguars executive showed up to the team’s 2024 NFL draft room Thursday wearing a neck brace from a, well, nationally broadcast scuffle the night before. … Tony Khan made sure to show off his battle scars Thursday night during the first round of the NFL draft. … We’ll wait and see if Khan brings out the neck brace again Friday for the second and third rounds.”

Barstool Sports said the neck brace was necessary to sell the storyline. “That’s how you keep kayfabe. If he showed up tonight healthy, all credibility would have been lost. AEW would have to go off the air tomorrow. Khan could never show his face in public again. We’re just glad he was able to make it to the draft at all. Get better Tony!”