WWE News: Former Superstar Says Company Offered ‘Astronomical’ Deals To Prevent People From Joining AEW

In a recent interview, recent Impact Wrestling signee Brian Myers — who previously competed in WWE under the ring name Curt Hawkins — revealed that his former employer was known for offering wrestlers large amounts of money to prevent them from signing with rival company All Elite Wrestling.

As quoted by WrestlingNews.co on Monday, Myers appeared on this week’s edition of David Penzer’s Sitting Ringside podcast, where he discussed several topics related to his in-ring career, including his multiple stints in WWE. Talking about the promotion’s creative process, Myers stressed the importance of establishing a close relationship with chairman Vince McMahon in order for one’s ideas to be heard.

After referring to this process as a “waste of time,” he echoed the previous comments made by Eric Young — another former superstar who signed with Impact last month — and agreed that his former employer’s creative system is “flawed.”

Myers was then quoted as saying that WWE did indeed offer “astronomical” contracts to wrestlers last year, in hopes that they wouldn’t jump ship and sign with the fast-rising AEW.

“Once someone said no, then it went up for everybody. It kept happening. It wound up being what it was, which was too good to be true. It was more money than I ever imagined making in this business.”

Offering further details on the type of deal that his colleagues purportedly called the “Please don’t go to AEW contract,” Myers said that the key feature of these offers was the length, which was always set at five years. Considering how comfortable he felt at the time, as well as the fact that he had briefly worked as a backstage producer while injured, he said that he was “more than fine” with signing such an extension.

Myers’ comments about the five-year contracts mesh with previous reports from the summer of 2019, as several superstars supposedly signed such deals with WWE during that time despite their lower- or mid-card status. These included the likes of Jinder Mahal, Mojo Rawley, Maria Kanellis, and Mike Bennett (formerly Mike Kanellis). The latter two were released by WWE in April along with Myers and several other talents due to budget cuts driven by the coronavirus crisis.

Regarding his release, Myers told Penzer that he was “shocked” by the decision, adding that he might have been given false hopes when a friend told him the promotion will “never let anyone go” during a pandemic.

“Fast forward to now, 90+ days later, and they are the only wrestling company letting people go during this pandemic. It’s still baffling to me,” he continued, adding that he’s “excited” to be a part of the Impact roster.