AEW personality refused contract extension - Reports
AEW is undergoing an executive overhaul as the likes of QT Marshall and Rafael Morffi depart the promotion at the end of this year. Joining them is a surprising name: Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer Dana Massie. According to F4W's Bryan Alvarez, Massie turned down a contract extension with the company.
Dana Massie is the wife of The Young Bucks' Matt Jackson. She has long overseen the merchandising channels that played a massive part in the success of the Bucks in NJPW and on the independent circuit. Dana, who often goes by 'Mrs. Matt' in the wrestling world, was also a major player in the founding of AEW.
Despite having served as the Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer for the company since 2019, Dana Massie has chosen to depart AEW and pursue other interests. Speaking on the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez stated that the company tried to re-sign her, but she declined the offer:
"Both of them are gone as of the end of the year, they tried to re-sign Dana, and she opted not to re-sign," said Alvarez.
Dave Meltzer then speculated on the potential reasons for Massie's departure, citing recent changes in the company and locker room. He seemed to indicate that the fiasco surrounding CM Punk and the 'Brawl Out' incident may have played a part:
"I think with everything that happened over the last year with her husband and brother-in-law, vilified and never defended and never being allowed to defend themselves and the company never defending them, it made it really difficult. (...) With her, I think it just got too tough. I’m sure there’s other things, too, but that was a lot of it, the fact that she felt they were never defended at a time when they probably should have been defended by the company. There was the situation where [CM] Punk went after her too, and she was never defended either." [H/T RingsideNews]
Matt Jackson pays tribute to his wife as she departs AEW
Details have slowly been revealed regarding Dana Massie's exit from AEW. When reports first emerged that she was departing the company, many fans wondered whether she was being pushed out or was leaving of her own accord.
While Bryan Alvarez revealed that she had turned down a new contract, it was Dana's husband Matt who first cleared the air by stating that the Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer had chosen to leave.
In a heartfelt Instagram Story yesterday, Matt Jackson paid tribute to his wife, emphasizing her importance in everything they had built:
"End of an era. You were in the first conversations, when this was all only an idea. One of the main builders of our empire. Always positive in at times was a thankless job. Glad you got to do it all, and leave on your terms, by your own choice. It's been fun working with you. See you at dinner," wrote Jackson.
You can check out Matt's post here.
How do you think Dana Massie's departure will affect AEW's operations? Will its merchandising channels improve or decline? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!