Wrestling Twitter Thrown Into Meme-based Chaos After AEW President Accuses 'Someone' Of Promoting Anti-AEW Bots

A good rule of thumb for Twitter is that if you're a celebrity or have a significant following, don't complain that your critics are "bots" -- even if there's any truth to the claim, very few tend to take them seriously.

Such was the situation that played out among the fandom for professional wrestling after All Elite Wrestling (AEW) president Tony Khan theorized that the promotion's critics on Twitter were really an "army of bots" and indirectly but heavily implied that someone from WWE – perhaps Vince McMahon – was behind this dastardly plot.

An independent study has confirmed that much of the staunch anti-AEW online community aren’t real individuals, it’s a staff running thousands of accounts + an army of bots to signal boost them. Look closely, these aren’t real people. Who’d pay for such a wildly expensive thing?

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 8, 2022

Ever wonder why so much of the activity of these accounts is retweets and replies? Like who actually has 80% of their activity as straight up retweets?

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 8, 2022

Speaking to Wrestling Inc., Khan laid out what he believes is happening.

"Waiting for final study but here’s what my expert confirmed. It’s people with real live accounts making posts and then using their bots to manipulate the social channel algorithm by backing them up with engagement from a made-up Twitter identity. Social media teams will often fight on this. Bots are great for numbers and when they’re gone, you’ll see a dip in digital conversation impressions – both those were either negative sentiment or not real anyway.

"For example, I tweet Megha only eats rotten bananas. I throw say 18 bots behind it (which takes about 5 minutes to do) Twitter security can’t differentiate when done well (neither can most social teams). The problem becomes, every time people type Megha into the search bar, because of a real account supported by bots- the first suggested result would be tweets about Megha eating rotten bananas. I’m oversimplifying, but that’s the 5 cent version of what’s happening."

There's no concrete evidence to back up Khan's accusation. The "study" he's commissioned is not publicly available, meaning wrestling fans on social media were left to decide if they trusted his word — or, as many did, decide the whole thing was a joke.

Many on Twitter rolled their eyes at Khan's claim that his company was being sabotaged on the website by a villainous army of internet bots commissioned by a nefarious billionaire, and instead took to memeing about the situation.

Tony Khan when he comes across a robot on Twitter: pic.twitter.com/FCUraujFSn

— 🗡 (@WWECraig03) April 8, 2022

Tony Khan looking at his replies on Twitter: pic.twitter.com/zqCrwzdGFC

— Fiending For Followers ‼️ (@Fiend4FolIows) April 8, 2022

How can anyone take Tony Khan seriously anymore or like him? What pro wrestling owner tweets about bots disliking their promotion?

— Niccolò (@Makavelimademe) April 8, 2022

How Tony Khan See's Anti-AEW Fans – 'They Live' pic.twitter.com/IUXr2AhazX

— SWERVE (@TheSwerveShow) April 11, 2022

Even Becky Lynch, one of the most popular female superstars in WWE, took to Twitter to poke fun at Khan's unintentional copypasta.

An independent study confirmed that much of the staunch anti – Becky in arena booers aren’t real individuals, it’s a staff running thousands of A.I. – an army of bots! Look closely, these aren’t real people. Who’d pay for such a “wildly” expensive thing?

— The Man (@BeckyLynchWWE) April 8, 2022

Professional wrestling is a notoriously competitive industry, as promotions, and particularly WWE, have been ruthless about attempting to crush their competitors. Still, considering the incredible roster of wrestlers AEW has poached from WWE, Khan should be able to rest easy knowing a supposed army of Twitter bots won't sink his company.