Former WWE star Baron Corbin has elaborated on his previous comments regarding the disagreements over AEW contracts, specifically Rey Fenix.
While the original plan seemed to be that former AEW Tag Team Champions Rey Fenix and Penta were both set to leave the promotion and sign with WWE together, things were not as straightforward. Although Penta became a free agent in 2024 and is now a part of the Raw roster, Fenix has seen injury time added onto his AEW contract, which has been speculated to extend into the summer of 2025.
With reports indicating that Tony Khan has no intentions of featuring Fenix on TV and instead have the former International Champion sit at home for the remainder of his contract, fans have been very critical of the decision. With fans claiming the practice is unethical and comparing it to the old WWE regime, many have called for Fenix to be released. However, responding to one fan, the former WWE star came to the defence of Tony Khan, stating that if a contract is signed then it needs to be honoured.
“We Don’t Know What’s Really Going On”: Baron Corbin On AEW Contracts
While speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Corbin was asked about his comments on social media. Having experience with American Football and professional wrestling contracts over the course of his career, the former WWE star stated that while they can be unfair and are designed to benefit the corporation more than the individual, fans can’t judge the situation as only a select few know the inner workings:
“I’m not saying that one side or the other side is correct. I’m just saying simply that’s how they work. I’ve signed NFL contracts. I’ve signed five WWE contracts. It’s the nature of the beast and it’s the same in any industry. They may not be the greatest contracts when you start out, they are unfair. You’re fighting an uphill battle sometimes in a contract.
The music industry, 50% of your money is gone like that, it’s a contract, but you’re a band, you’re trying to make it. You got to do it, you got to sign the paper, and you got to get through it, and then you can kind of start to negotiate terms. It’s just one of those things. They’re there to protect both sides. Usually they benefit the person giving the contract a little bit more than they do the other side.”
“But at the end of the day, those people arguing over contracts. Number one, everybody that’s commenting on social media, including myself, we don’t know the inside thing that’s going on. There could be bad blood there. There could be things one side said to the other. Nobody has a clue except for those people in that small circle.
So you can’t say one person is right, one person is wrong, because nobody actually knows the answer to that question. But what I do know is how contracts work and how unfair they may be. No one is forcing you to sign it ever. Every contract that’s ever been put in front of me, never been forced to sign.”
Also in the interview, Baron Corbin recalled an incident with a WWE Writer that made his blood boil.
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