Kevin Kelly and The Boys [Brent And Brandon Tate] have launched legal action against AEW.
The lawsuit, which was filed on August 30th, was first reported by The Wrestling News AV, who released the following statement on social media:
“BREAKING: Three former talents terminated by the company have brought a lawsuit against All Elite Wrestling, among others. The suit, brought by announcer Kevin Kelly and wrestlers Brandon & Brendan Tate, was filed on August 30 in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas by attorneys Stephen P. New & Benjamin Baer, and is seeking to void the arbitration clause of their talent contracts, as well as requesting the court certify a class-action suit against AEW over claims the company is misclassifying its wrestling talent as independent contractors, rather than employees.”
Kevin Kelly was terminated by AEW back in March, with the former announcer’s posts on social media accusing ROH commentator Ian Riccaboni of libel being one of the main contributing factors along with publicly expressing other frustrations while with the company. Kelly has alleged defamation from Riccaboni and from AEW and is seeking monetary damages.
In regards to the Tate Twins, previously known as The Boys in Ring of Honor, the tag team was part of multiple releases in April 2024. On a media call shortly after their release, Tony Khan stated that the reason for this was because the twins did not show up for work on multiple occasions. However, in response to this, The Tate Twins told their side of the story claiming there was a miscommunication and they were booked to travel from the wrong airport. The no-show claim is also part of the defamation lawsuit.
Kevin Kelly & The Tate Twins Attorney Releases Statement
In the social media posts from The Wrestling News is a statement from the plaintiffs’s attorney Stephen P. New:
“I applaud the bravery of these Plaintiffs in bringing this long-overdue action, challenging the mis-classification of pro-wrestlers as independent contractors instead of employees. We know we are in for a long, hard fight, but in the end, I believe justice always prevails.”
Later that day, Kevin Kelly and All Elite Wrestling issued statements regarding the lawsuit.