WWE and AEW have engaged in a so-called war for a few years now, with the main shots being fired over talent and head-to-head show battles. Mariah May recently left AEW and became Blake Monroe of WWE, while The Hurt Business reunited in AEW as The Hurt Syndicate.
Jonathan Coachman joined WWE at the end of 1999 with no prior wrestling experience. The sports broadcaster spent just over 8 years and five months with WWE in his first run, and then almost five years and six months for the last run that ended in 2021.
Coachman launched Behind The Turnbuckle Studios on YouTube in early 2024, but really picked up the content this year. Hit shows include The Coach & Bro Show with Vince Russo, and The Last Word with Gabby LaSpisa aka GabbyAF, and Tommy Carlucci, who spent 30 years working WWE production and the father of a son who currently holds a similar role.
Coachman’s news reports have gone viral in recent months, for positive and negative reasons, including a recent story on Vince McMahon potentially buying WWE back. Now he’s making a bold claim on one of the biggest AEW Originals, who is a one-time Women’s World Champion and winner of The Owen Hart Cup 2022: Britt Baker.
Britt Baker Reportedly Leaving AEW For WWE
Britt Baker is on her way out of AEW, according to Jonathan Coachman. On the latest episode of The Last Word from Coach’s Behind The Turnbuckle Studios channel on YouTube, the 51-year-old received a bit of news from an unidentified source, which claimed the first-ever AEW women’s division signee is close to being gone from Tony Khan’s company.
DMD Baker has been the subject of curious rumors and speculation in the last year or so, with uncertainty surrounding the AEW status and future of the 34-year-old. Coachman began the big revelation on Baker by touting his recent news drops to co-hosts Tommy Carlucci and Gabby LaSpisa.
“Alright, so I just got this in real time. You guys know I’ve just been breaking news left and right, and when it’s in context, I have yet to be wrong. So, I just found out there’s a name, a female name, out there that is this [pinching hand gesture] close to signing with the WWE. Any guesses? [Carlucci: Britt Baker] Ding, ding, ding, ding! Gone from AEW, close. My sources… keep coming to your boy!,” Jonathan Coachman said. [From 10:59 to 11:32]
The Coach then revealed how he wishes WWE would hire him to help women’s division competitors with promos, adding that Lyra Valkyria was “exposed” last week as she’s not verbally ready for the main roster. The discussion continued, and Coachman asked Carlucci if WWE is making the necessary changes to the division that are needed for the future, especially with Evolution II approaching. The longtime fan and insider made the case for why Baker should bypass NXT.
“Yeah, I think they have to, Coach, and I think they’re starting to do that now. If it’s true that Britt Baker just signed with WWE, that’s a pretty big thing. She was a pretty big thing at AEW. I don’t know what happened over there, if things got crossed with her and TK or what, but she was a top talent for a long time when they first started out there. So, I think it’s a big coup for WWE to get her. Now whether she starts out in NXT or if it’s RAW or SmackDown, I’d bring her to the main roster right away because she’s ready, man. Big time ready for that,” Tommy Carlucci said. [From 14:06 to 14:35]
Coachman agreed with the idea of Britt Baker going straight to the main roster, if she has signed. He then took another look at her situation with AEW, made an interesting statement on politics inside the wrestling world.
“She is so, so ready. She’s got the built-in storyline, and she got buried because she pushed back. She b****ed about what was going on [in AEW], and you know… in wrestling you can’t do that. [Carlucci: Nope] You can’t do that,” Jonathan Coachman said. [From 14:36 to 14:48]
Baker has not wrestled since defeating Penelope Ford during Dynamite on November 13, 2024. This came six weeks after her win over Serena Deeb on the Dynamite 5 Year Anniversary show, which took place five weeks after losing to TBS Champion Mercedes Moné at All In.