There is no denying that All Elite Wrestling has a roster stacked with talent. But depending on who you ask, AEW President Tony Khan isn’t making the most of it. One of those dissenting voices belongs to Konnan, who on a recent episode of his “K100” podcast couldn’t really piece together why he’s struggling with the aspect of the job that requires elevating wrestlers and their characters. Notably, Ricky Starks’ name came up, but Konnan doesn’t see him as the only one Khan has dropped the ball with.

“It could be heat,” he said, referencing when Starks was backstage at the WWE Royal Rumble to support his friend Cody Rhodes. “By the same token, and you know we’ve said this millions of times, probably other 10 guys that are in Ricky Starks’ position where they mishandled them.”

Starks is seen as a star by many, and until recently seemed to be getting booked accordingly. From promo sparring with MJF and getting a shot at the AEW World Championship back in December to defeating Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution in March, things appeared to be lining up for Starks. But he’s fallen back down the card recently, and Konnan views his situation as one of many examples that paint a suboptimal picture of Khan’s overall ability to elevate talent.

“The thing is, everything’s hard if you don’t know how to do it. Like, I know how to elevate characters, right?” Konnan added. “But it’s weird to me that Tony, who is a mega, mega fan…that he didn’t learn how to elevate people, you know? And so, that’s kind of a head-scratcher for me.” 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “K100” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.