Britt Baker may be the latest member of the AEW roster to be no longer used on TV as Tony Khan is “fed up enough” with the former Women’s Champion.
Baker has not competed in the ring since the November 13th episode of Dynamite, which saw her defeat Penelope Ford. With Baker not seen for more than 2 months, more information has come to light which may explain the absence.
Speaking on the PWTorch Hotline, Wade Keller issued a lengthy statement on Baker’s status with the company. Keller described Baker as “widely unpopular” in the locker room and brought up a number of incidents allegedly involving Britt Baker, one of which saw her suspended:
“She might be done with AEW. At least the feeling I’m getting from talking to people in AEW is Tony Khan might have her in the same category as some other wrestlers where they just don’t get phone calls and don’t get called in to show up. There is a lot of frustration with her. I’m told – and I’ve heard this pretty consistently – she’s wildly unpopular in the women’s locker room.
One person said no one ever wants to see her come back, speaking of the women’s locker room. Now, that is a bold broad statement. I could imagine somebody on social media going, ‘I am a women’s wrestler in AEW and I want her back.’ Okay, fair enough, but I’m just telling you somebody’s perception is nobody wants her back. That’s how bad it is, somebody is willing to tell me that.”
“There was the incident with her and MJF and I’m told that factors into her being off television, but there are other issues with her that have come up. She has become increasingly difficult to work with in a general sense. She has always had a reputation for being difficult to work with.
There was a specific situation recently not counting the MJF situation where people just threw their hands up…It wasn’t like a huge deal but it was enough to sort of be the straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of just feeling like, ‘You know what? We’ve got a strong women’s division now compared to when she was on top and we don’t need to deal with her if she’s going to be this difficult to work with.’ So that’s where they are with her.”
Britt Baker Not Expected To Be Back On TV
Continuing, Keller stated that Tony Khan is looking to move forward without Baker in creative plans but does not know what this will mean for her long-term future:
“I am told the Adam Cole situation is not stopping her. There should be no heat on Adam Cole, he has nothing to do with her not being on TV…Obviously, she had some standout moments in AEW and became a star and was seen as a centrepiece act, but even back then I was hearing about her reputation and being unpopular in certain circles, and difficult to work with, and being fiercely territorial of her role in the company in a way that just felt unsustainable.
And from what I’m hearing, at least the attitude right now at the moment, the belief is Tony Khan is fed up enough that he’s just gonna focus his TV time on others. I don’t know what that means in terms of her pay and her contract and it’s possible eventually things will change…At this point in asking around, you should not expect to see her back imminently.”
It should be noted that according to previous reports, those in AEW who are said to be frustrated are likely to remain signed and will sit out the remainder of their contract as opposed to being released, with Rey Fenix and Miro being two examples.
H/t to Cultaholic.