Reason for AEW mass releases - Reports

AEW surprisingly made their first-ever round of mass talent releases this week. New details on the reason behind the release have just leaked from backstage amid criticism against Tony Khan.

Ten talents were released by All Elite Wrestling on Monday - Parker Boudreaux, Dasha Kuret, Jose The Assistant, Stu Grayson, Anthony Henry, Brandon Tate, Brent Tate, Slim J, Jora Johl, and Gravity. The cuts were made not long after the blockbuster acquisitions of Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Mercedes Moné. Khan is being criticized for the departures.

AEW decided on Monday's releases as part of evaluating their talent roster, according to PWInsider. The idea is that these cuts were needed to benefit both the company and the talents, who are all expected to be free agents immediately.

According to backstage sources, these All Elite releases were not the result of large financial cutbacks, but simply a re-organization of how the company is utilizing the roster. AEW officials also did not want to keep talents from potential outside opportunities.

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What did AEW owner Tony Khan say about mass WWE releases in the past?

AEW President Tony Khan has received significant social media heat due to the mass release made on Monday. Fans have pointed out how Khan spoke out against WWE for the mass budget cuts they made in August 2021.

WWE has not had a round of mass cuts in several months now, and some are hopeful that the days of group releases are over. Khan knocked WWE for the mass cuts and defended his own company in multiple media interviews around that time, but his Busted Open Radio comments went viral for obvious reasons.

"Anyone who signs a contract [in WWE] these days is not signing a real contract. It's a temporary arrangement. People who come wrestle with me— a lot of these people are frankly lifers, and they know that. There is a lot more security with a contract here. I can't say I'm going to extend every contract or bring every person back, but I also haven't been doing mass layoffs," Tony Khan said during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khan further went on to make controversial comments about how he avoided mass layoffs during the pandemic, and how his company was a better option for pro wrestlers. It's believed that the ten names released by AEW on Monday are the only cuts being made for now.