AEW Acknowledges Lawsuit Filed By Three Former Talents Against Them

For the most part, AEW allows contracts to expire rather than release talents early, although there have been exceptions that are typically related to disciplinary issues. However, it now appears that AEW’s approach is set to be challenged in court, as @WrestlingNewsAV has reported that Kevin Kelly and The Boys have joined forces to bring a lawsuit against the company as well as Tony Khan and Ian Riccaboni following their departures.

Additionally, it’s understood that the disgruntled trio are accusing the promotion of misclassifying their wrestlers as independent contractors instead of employees, which, if proven, could have enormous repercussions for the whole industry.

And now, with the lawsuit having gone public and being a hot topic of conversation on social media, AEW has acknowledged the situation by simply telling Sports Illustrated that they don’t comment on pending litigation.

“AEW does not comment on pending litigation.”

57-year-old Kelly, real name Kevin Foote, made his name in WWE after signing with the company in 1996. Initially, he worked as a backstage interviewer before becoming a commentator, although due to budget cuts, he was released in 2003. Since then, he has commentated for MLW, ROH, and New Japan before signing with AEW last summer to become part of the Collision announce team. Yet he was let go after he accused Ian Riccaboni of libel and career sabotage on social media.

Regarding The Boys, Brandon and Brendan Tate first debuted for ROH in 2014 after breaking into the business four years earlier. Soon, they would be aligned with Dalton Castle, who they memorably accompanied to the ring wearing peacock-inspired gear. Still, despite the trio being ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions on two occasions, Castle was always positioned as the star. Therefore, after they no-showed multiple tapings, which they claimed was due to a misunderstanding, AEW cut ties.