"They have modern day Austin and Rock to carry them" - Twitter explodes following recent teases of AEW exits from multiple stars amidst backstage turmoil
AEW has seemingly had a ton of internal issues as of late, especially after CM Punk and The Elite's backstage brawl put all eyes on the promotion. Fans have taken note of the problem, with numerous accounts taking to Twitter to share their take on the recent internal issues.
With a roster of around 100 signed wrestlers, some would say the AEW locker room was bound to clash sooner or later. Tony Khan's recent internal woes may simply be the first time the problems have leaked out, and fans might have missed out on a lot more drama.
In light of FTR's Dax Harwood recently calling Tony Khan out as well as all the cryptic Tweets from Andrade, fans have begun to wonder why so many stars are unhappy within AEW. Additionally, Saraya's disastrous Dynamite promo has also made viewers further question the stability of Khan's promotion.
Fans have now reacted with a mixture of sarcasm, concern, and genuine disdain:
Check out all the Twitter reactions below:
So, in kayfabe, AEW has a disgruntled singles guy with the chip, a disgruntled tag team with 3 titles from other companies, and a women's division in such a disarray that they needed someone who isn't cleared to wrestle to come in to save them??? Lololololol
@TheWitchMilitia “Booker of the year”
MJF did the "F this company" angle. Then Punk, Bucks, Kenny drama happens & they're gone. Rosa injured & badmouthed. Black & Buddy do cryptic statements & leave. Miro, FTR, Wardlow complain online. Saraya comes in to 'save' women's misbooking & now Andrade in a 'leave AEW' match? twitter.com/TheWitchMiliti…
@MeltzerSaidWhat There is no bigger indictment of TK's booking than how FTR have been used. He has one of the best, if not the best team in the world, and get almost no tag matches on TV.
@MeltzerSaidWhat The best thing Tony Khan can do is a total reconstruction and hiring another person to help book the card someone who can contest him
@MeltzerSaidWhat @ToxicIWCTweets I can’t wait until they win promotion of the year in the Observer for 2022.😂
@MeltzerSaidWhat Welp. You just summed up about the last 6 months of AEW booking in one tweet
@MeltzerSaidWhat At least they have modern day Austin and Rock to carry them to the glory days https://t.co/I7nRl1YmFu
@MeltzerSaidWhat And let’s not forget Cody, a foundation top level star and EVP, got the hell out there. Not good.
@MeltzerSaidWhat It's such a nonsensical mess and it seems like his ego and need to prove that he can handle it all will be the company's downfall
At this stage, any of the issues that are leaking could simply be kayfabe or just one half of the story. It wouldn't be the first time that a star within the promotion has had their alleged issues leaked, only for it to be debunked .
Unfortunately for fans, viewers will simply have to wait and see how things unfold within the promotion over the next few months.
Reports suggest that Tony Khan will not be releasing any AEW stars who request their release
WWE is infamously known for cutting off various stars before their agreed-upon contract terms were reached. The promotion has often denied granting stars like Mustafa Ali their release after they would request it. WWE has been universally criticized for this, but Tony Khan seems to be in the same boat, according to a recent report.
Per Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, Tony Khan will not be granting any requested releases from any AEW stars:
"Nobody’s getting released. That’s the doctrine. Tony Khan made that very clear I guess in the last couple of days. So now it’s just, (Malakai Black’s) not being released, Buddy Matthews isn’t being released. Now they may be back sooner than before," Meltzer said. (H/T: WrestleTalk)
Fans hoping to see more former WWE Superstars join Cody Rhodes may have to wait longer than they would have hoped. But many also wonder, will Khan's denial of releases end up harming or helping AEW in the long run?