WBD Denies AEW Wrestler Was Left Off TV To Avoid 'F--- ICE' Chants [UPDATE]

Update: Dave Meltzer seems to admit he was wrong.

Last Wednesday, All Elite Wrestling drew national headlines when fans in Las Vegas chanted "f--- ICE" during a main event match between Brody King and MJF.

King did not appear this week on "Dynamite," despite the buildup to his rematch with MJF this Saturday at Grand Slam Australia, this time for the AEW World Championship. 

Longtime wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer reported that King was left off television this week to avoid similar chants about ICE erupting again. Meltzer suggested Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of AEW’s television partner TNT and TBS, made the call.

"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. I don’t know how they’re going to handle it. This is again not a Tony call. This is from above. You know what it is, nobody wants to get on Trump’s bad side," Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.

"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 going to take that stuff personally. That’s just how it is. No Brody King on the show when he and MJF absolutely should have had a segment."

However, WBD vehemently denied the report in a statement to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful:

"Warner Bros. Discovery did not have any involvement in Brody King’s upcoming AEW schedule. Any speculation to the contrary is categorically false. Brody is scheduled to appear during the next AEW event, which will air this Saturday on TNT and HBO Max."

Hmm.

For background, neither AEW nor rival WWE has leaned into politics on screen. To their credit, both brands have remained largely apolitical during a period when few major brands have, including most professional sports leagues in America. That restraint may help explain their recent success.

Still, some wrestling fans perceive the AEW base as more liberal than WWE. There are several ties between WWE and the Trump administration. Linda McMahon serves as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque joined Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. WWE is also a sister property of UFC, whose president, Dana White, is closely aligned with Trump.

As a result, wrestling fans may be more inclined to chant liberal messaging at an AEW event. To reiterate, it is unclear whether Tony Khan leans one way or the other politically.

Brody King on the ramp during AEW Collision on October 3, 2024, at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ultimately, television networks should not be in the business of censoring fans. Wrestlers would be wise to avoid sharing political views on air. However, fans pay to attend events and express themselves. From what we can tell, the chants appear organic. 

We may disagree with the sentiment about ICE, but paying customers at wrestling events have the right to voice those opinions.

So we hope WBD is the one telling the truth.