On May 1st, Leva Bates announced that her contract with All Elite Wrestling had expired.
Bates was one of the original members of the company, having joined in April 2019 shortly after its launch. While she wrestled just 25 matches during her time with the promotion, she worked on a number of projects behind the scenes including the Being The Elite YouTube series. She was also a big part of the ‘Heels’ group.
She last wrestled back in February, teaming with Madison Rayne and Willow Nightengale in defeat to Emi Sakura, Marina Shafir & Nyla Rose.
In the post confirming she was no longer part of AEW, Bates spoke of her appreciation for the crew, staff, and talent in the company before looking ahead to her next chapter.
🫶 pic.twitter.com/SNefHc4RWt
— Leva Bates (@wrestlingleva) May 1, 2023
More details on Leva Bates’ AEW release have emerged
Now, a report from Fightful Select has shed more light on Bates’ release. Sources close to the star told Fightful that Bates was surprised by the news and hadn’t had a conversation with the company about renewing her deal.
Some talent are said to have heard about the decision to let her go through a company-wide email. Bates then found out when others contacted her to check on her.
The report goes on to note that some in the company pushed for her to stay in AEW, but there has been no word on if that will happen.
Bates was also praised for the statement she released on social media given how she discovered her deal wouldn’t be renewed.