AEW News: Several Stars Reportedly Released, One Confirmed
As documented by Sportskeeda, Sadie Gibbs has confirmed that she’s parted ways with All Elite Wrestling. Elsewhere, Jimmy Havoc and Bea Priestley have been removed from the company’s official roster page on the website.
Gibbs took to Twitter after her release and expressed her gratitude to the company. Her words suggest that both parties ended their agreement on positive terms.
“My journey it’s been one hell of a ride, I never expect it to get easier I just expect my core values and perception to evolve and for me always to find #GRACE within moving forwards. #UNDEFINABLE Thankyou so much @TonyKhan @AEWrestling for giving me a chance of a life time.”
Gibbs went on to reveal that she’d been let go due to “circumstances,” in response to a curious fan. As documented by Wrestle Zone, the release may have been the result of Gibbs’ lack of involvement in recent times. She only appeared three times for the company, and she hasn’t been on television since last October.
Priestley’s lack of activity could have led to her suspected release as well. She hasn’t been on television since March, though she did feature in the Buy-In for three consecutive pay-per-views, suggesting that the promotion had plans for her.
Priestley and Gibbs are also members of Japan’s Stardom promotion, and they spend more time wrestling abroad than they do in the United States. The inability to make a full-time commitment to AEW may have led to them being cut from the roster.
Havoc, on the other hand, was a fixture on the shows since the promotion’s inception. He last appeared in June, but he was suspended following the #SpeakingOut allegations that rocked the wrestling industry earlier this year. He was ordered to undergo treatment after the news came out.
As highlighted by the Sportskeeda article, officials lent their support to Havoc at the time due to his history of addiction problems. They also promised to review his employment status after he completed his treatment.
These developments also mark the AEW releases that weren’t by request. As The Inquisitr previously documented, Kylie Rae asked to be let go shortly after signing with AEW, and officials agreed to her wish.
While WWE has cut hundreds of employees throughout the pandemic, their main competition has given opportunities to an abundance of wrestlers. However, it’s entirely possible that the current economic situation has required the young entity to scale back on running costs, which has been the case in most sports.