AEW's problems keep mounting after former star's podcast appearance

AEW is in a tough spot. Its ratings are falling, viewership is consistently dropping and attendance has been on a steady decline. To make matters worse, multiple former and current talents have begun to speak out against the company. 

During a recent appearance on the "Going Ringside With The Local Station" podcast, former AEW star Jake Hager, who spent time with The Jericho Appreciation Society, noted how Tony Khan didn't want him as part of the company. Instead, it was Chris Jericho who convinced Khan to give him a shot. 

"Tony [Khan] didn’t want me there, but Chris did, he wanted me there, and it was awesome," Hager said. "Working with the Inner Circle was one of my favorite things. Working with the Jericho Appreciation Society, one of my favorite things. One of my favorite moments of my career was the Stadium Stampedes that we did. Just good times."

Hager's comments come at a time when Rey Fenix is bashing AEW on social media, seemingly saying they mistreated him throughout his tenure. Fenix has a reason to be angry, though, as Khan added injury time to his contract once rumors linking him with WWE surfaced. Penta El Zero Miedo has already left the company but will likely wait for Fenix before making his next move. 

Both Hager and Fenix have a right to share their opinions. The problem is that AEW could do without the bad press. Like it or not, the company never recovered from CM Punk's acrimonious exit and all the negative publicity that came with it. To this day, Khan's decision to air the backstage footage is befuddling. 

It also doesn't help that Khan is currently doing a press run to promote AEW's move to Max, where they will livestream their programming. He is celebrating wins while the product itself is failing around him.