Tony Khan has admitted that he wasn’t fully convinced when Cody Rhodes first pitched the idea of permanently giving up future AEW World Championship opportunities if he failed to win the title.
The now-famous stipulation debuted at AEW Full Gear 2019, where Rhodes challenged Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. After coming up short, Rhodes was barred from ever challenging for the company’s top prize again, a storyline that remained in place for the rest of his AEW run.
The concept resurfaced earlier this year when Hangman Page put his own title aspirations on the line against MJF at AEW Revolution 2026, and the same stakes will be in play once again when Kenny Omega challenges MJF on this week’s AEW Dynamite: Beach Break.
Speaking during a recent interview with Q101, Khan revealed that the original stipulation was entirely Rhodes’ idea, though he initially questioned whether it was the right move. He said,
“In the case of Cody, it was Cody’s idea to do that. I did have some reservations about it at that time. He felt pretty strongly about it, and that’s how it came to be. I went along because I can see why he wanted to have that, and it would certainly build unpredictability around the event. It did add intrigue, and that was a great show and a great match.”
“The aftermath did create challenges. Not long after that, the pandemic hit, and I had the idea for the TNT Championship, and I think Cody was great as the TNT champion, to be the first champion and defending the title on TV. I did have reservations about [him not getting a World Title shot], but it was something he felt pretty strongly about, so I went along with it.”
The stipulation is once again front and center heading into this week’s Beach Break edition of AEW Dynamite, where Kenny Omega will attempt to dethrone MJF. If Omega loses, he will also forfeit his ability to challenge for the AEW World Championship for as long as MJF remains champion.
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