The absence of Brody King from the February 11 episode of AEW Dynamite was reportedly not a creative decision made by Tony Khan, but rather a mandate from AEW’s television partner, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the decision was driven by the network’s desire to avoid a repeat of the “F*** ICE” chants that occurred during the previous week’s broadcast. WBD executives are reportedly wary of creating political friction with the presidential administration as they navigate the regulatory approval process for Netflix’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The sensitivity surrounding King’s presence stems from the political and corporate stakes currently at play. WBD is currently in the middle of an $82.7 billion enterprise-value deal with Netflix, a move that requires strict regulatory approval. Given that the President has historically taken public criticism personally, WBD reportedly felt that allowing a segment that could trigger anti-ICE chants was too high a risk for their corporate interests.
“The deal is that they didn’t want the fans in the arena to be chanting that. If Brody came out, there was that risk… when he comes back, it will happen again,” Meltzer claimed. “I don’t know how they’re going to handle it. This is again not a Tony call. This is from above. Nobody wants to get on Trump’s bad side.
“If it wasn’t for that, nobody would care; it’s just a chant, but unfortunately, they’ve got a company they’re trying to sell and get regulatory approval from a guy who is gonna take that stuff personally. That’s just how it is. No Brody King on the show when he absolutely, of course, Brody King and MJF should have had a segment on the show.”
The decision resulted in both Brody King and the AEW World Champion, MJF, being absent from the final live broadcast before their major title clash at Grand Slam Australia. Instead of a face-to-face confrontation, the match was promoted through a video package during the February 11 episode.
