Tony Khan tried to keep "That B*tch."
The AEW and ROH President spoke at the post-show media scrum after AEW Wrestle Dream 2023 on Sunday night to members of the media about attempting to re-sign Jade Cargill before she pulled the trigger on signing with WWE.
"I knew Jade’s contract had been ticking down and we were talking about a new contract and I was very interested in Jade coming back and we were having a negotiation," Khan said. "I made a very big offer and I thought it was a very fair offer. I think she was considering it, and then she asked for a bigger offer and then I went up again, and I kind of thought that was going to do it. Then, it didn’t, which I was surprised because, to be honest, I came up to a number that was higher than her original ask. I don’t know what I would have had to do at that point. I was a little surprised. I did really hope that Jade would be back. I think I tried to handle it, when we were down to the nitty gritty and we were down to the final couple of weeks and we still hadn’t agreed to something, then it was at the point where I said, ‘if you aren’t going to stay, I’m going to give you the best possible exit.’"
Khan continued, "I have only good things to say about Jade. I really enjoyed working with her. She was a great part of AEW, she is always welcome here, I tried to give her the best possible send-off I could. I try to make this a great home for wrestlers and I want people to see whether you’re coming in or coming out, we’re going to treat you well and I respect and value Jade, so I wanted to give her a big send-off. I wish her the best and she would always be welcome back if she wanted to come back."
Check out the complete AEW Wrestle Dream 2023 post-show press conference with Tony Khan via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.
