AEW owner stays quiet on potential interest in top WWE star

AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan may be very interested in Becky Lynch, one of WWE's top talents who is reportedly done with her current WWE deal as of June 1. But if he is, he's not going to say it publicly.

Khan made that clear during a May 29 appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show." While discussing the signings of some former WWE stars who have become integral parts of AEW — including Adam Copeland and Mercedes Moné — Khan was asked about Lynch and would only say she is a "great star."

Pressed about whether he'd be interested in signing Lynch to AEW, Khan told Eisen that he "invoked the tampering word."

"I don't want to try to tamper and do those things," Khan said (per Fightful). "I try to keep it classy, and I really have a reputation for honesty, and I really want to be a fair businessman. The wrestling business is a really cutthroat business."

This looks like a case of Khan trying to practice what he preaches. While he's maintained that he doesn't know of any specific incidences of WWE trying to poach wrestlers under contract to AEW, he has claimed that some wrestlers have reported alleged tampering to him. Khan has also alluded to unethical competitive practices on WWE's part without going into specifics.

It's not clear at the moment if Lynch would consider a move to AEW if she can't come to an agreement on a new deal with WWE, as Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reports that she's expected to take some time off. Lynch began her pro wrestling career on the indie circuit in 2005 but has become synonymous with WWE over the past decade, becoming a seven-time world champion.

Her decision could come down to the same factors Copeland and Moné considered when making their own moves: Familiarity and performing on the biggest possible stage vs. new matchups and a less grueling schedule.

Add in the presence of husband Seth Rollins as a fellow WWE star juxtaposed with the thought that the AEW slate may be more conducive to raising a pre-school-aged daughter, and it's clear that Lynch has a lot to consider. The only thing wrestling fans can know for certain is that Khan isn't going to say anything about possibly bringing her in until she's officially a free agent.