"I wasn't in the right place" - Current WWE champion makes huge confession about leaving AEW
A former AEW star made the jump to WWE last year and has since found his way to championship gold. Newly crowned NXT North American Champion Shawn Spears recently opened up about his departure from the Tony Khan-led company.
After two separate stints with the Stamford-based promotion between 2006 and 2019, Spears turned All Elite, making his debut at the promotion's inaugural pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2019. Despite being featured prominently in the early years of the company's weekly programming, the 44-year-old lost much of his momentum after the dissolution of The Pinnacle and his alliance with MJF. He eventually exited AEW in December 2023 and proceeded to return to WWE in February 2024.
The Canadian Bad Boy defeated Tony D'Angelo earlier this month to become the new NXT North American Champion. In a recent interview with Gabby AF, the star spoke about his All Elite Wrestling departure, stating that he felt he ''wasn't in the right place!''
“Got a break over there in AEW, and then, I think it’s just a matter of—much like the business—it’s a personal evolution that we, as performers, kind of seek out. Sometimes, for me, it just felt like I wasn’t in the right place, so I needed to go. I’ve been pretty smart in life—believe it or not. I know, I know. But I’ve set myself up so that money isn’t at the forefront,'' he said.
Spears continued:
''It’s a little different now because I have children, but money still isn’t the priority. I put time as the ultimate thing. You know, I’m much closer to the end of my career than I am at the beginning.... I’m a big believer that if you feel in your gut that something needs to change, or you feel like you don’t belong somewhere, or you just have a feeling—do it. Yeah, go do it. Why not? I felt like I needed to!'' [H/T: Wrestlingnewssource.com]
Shawn Spears' last match in AEW
In his last All Elite Wrestling bout, The Perfect 10 participated in an Over The Budget Charity Battle Royal at All Out 2023 Zero Hour. Unfortunately, the Canadian failed to win the match, as he was eliminated by Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis of The Don Callis Family (then Aussie Open).
''Hangman'' Adam Page eventually secured the win in the aforementioned battle royal. Interestingly, The Cowboy will go to war with Spears' former ally MJF at AEW Revolution 2025 this Sunday.