WWE Fans Start Anti-Tony Khan Chant During Ricky Saints’ NXT Debut

WWE NXT fans in attendance during Ricky Saints‘ debut match started a chant poking fun at AEW owner Tony Khan.

The chant was started during Ricky Saints’ in-ring WWE NXT debut, where the former AEW wrestler teamed with Je’Von Evans against Wes Lee and Ethan Page in a tag team match. During and after the match, fans chanted “Tony fumbled,” in reference to Tony Khan supposedly dropping the ball with the former Ricky Starks.

Watch WWE NXT fans’ Tony Khan chant

The WWE fans’ chant can be viewed below:

Ricky Starks was one of AEW’s brightest stars, and the circumstances surrounding his departure from the company were controversial. Starks reportedly asked Tony Khan for his release but was not allowed to do so, and wasn’t seen on AEW television broadcasts for nearly a full year.

Starks noted in 2024 that he didn’t know why he’d been kept off AEW TV, calling the situation a “mindf***.” After much speculation, he eventually made his debut in NXT earlier this month, before being rebranded as Ricky Saints. Despite the name change, Saints clarified that “the person doesn’t change.”

WWE NXT fans clearly voiced their disapproval regarding Saints’ handling in AEW, expressing that Tony Khan dropped the ball with Ricky Starks in AEW. It remains to be seen if Ricky Saints in WWE will live up to the hype, but these early reactions to his debut indicate that fans are certainly behind him.