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What's the story?
Shawn Spears, formerly known as Tye Dillinger, has revealed what he said to Vince McMahon in one of his final conversations with the WWE chairman before leaving the company.
In case you didn't know…
After an eight-and-a-half-year association with WWE over two different spells, Shawn Spears was granted his release in February 2019.
Three months later, his 90-day no-compete clause expired on May 24 and he made his debut with AEW on May 25 as a participant in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing.
Spears mentioned in media interviews during the weekend of Double or Nothing that he had “nothing in writing” about any future AEW appearances, but it has since been announced that he has now officially signed a contract with the new promotion.
The heart of the matter
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Shawn Spears spoke positively about his relationship with Vince McMahon and mentioned that the WWE chairman always gave him the time of day and responded to his text messages.
Regarding his frustrations towards the end of his time with WWE, Spears stressed that Superstars need to gain and maintain credibility – and not necessarily receive a ‘push’ – in order to be taken seriously by audiences.
Whilst explaining this, he recalled a conversation that he had with McMahon:
“If you are watching the product and two guys come out and you’re able to already tell what the finish is of that match, based on entrances alone, that’s a problem, because now we’re giving an audience an opportunity to change the channel or do this [press buttons] on their phone. They don’t care, they’re not invested.
“And that is what I said to the chairman. I said, ‘With all due respect, I think we’re insulting their intelligence’ and he kind of just looked at me and went, ‘Oh s***.’”
What's next?
Shawn Spears’ next match with AEW has not yet been announced, but he is almost certain to be involved at either the Fyter Fest event on June 29 or Fight for the Fallen on July 13.
