More Backstage Unrest In AEW As Several Stars “Don’t Want To Be There”

Written by James Holder • Published 16th March 2023
Tony Khan AEW

AEW’s 2022 was marred by in-fighting (sometimes literally) and backstage unrest and it appears that not all of that bad feeling has disappeared.

On the March 15th episode of Dynamite MJF opened the show with his Re-Bar Mitzvah Celebration. However, he was interrupted by “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry, then Sammy Guevara, and finally Darby Allin. This brought the ‘Four Pillars of AEW’ into a storyline confrontation for the first time.

As has been the case for a number of months, the promos from the four men blurred the lines between reality and fiction, leaving fans to decide which is which. However, it appears that certain lines from Darby Allin in particular represent the feeling backstage. The former TNT Champion suggested that there is a whole host of unhappy talent backstage, something it seems could very well be true.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that “several” AEW stars don’t want to be there.

“With the whole thing of Darby Allin talking about, ‘All these guys complain, all these guys wanna leave’ and everything like that. Okay, that’s true, but to talk about it on your own television show, basically by doing that, you’re telling people you’re the secondary company.

We’ve seen this since May when this really started happening, and it’s done the company no good.”

Continuing on Meltzer stated that many complain publicly as there will be no real repercussions, before reiterating that there are people who “don’t want to be there.”

“One of the weaknesses with AEW, two things, number one is that so much of the talent complains publicly, which makes the company look real bad, because there’s no fear.

There’s people who don’t wanna be there. And signed contracts because they didn’t think WWE wanted them, and then they had… some people have the WWE attitude coming in and some people don’t. Some people from WWE are tremendous assets to this company, and some people have been anything but that, and it’s a case-by-case basis.”

Meltzer claimed that due to AEW talent repeatedly stating that people there want to work for WWE, it creates an impression that they are a clear number two to their rivals.

“The fanbase has gotten softer, they’re not as into it as they were, because they’re being told… before then, it was like, ‘We’re gonna be number one, or we’re the better product but they’re the older product, we’re the younger cooler product and all this’.

Now it’s like, ‘Everyone wants to be there (WWE), half our guys wanna be there or tease they wanna be there, and we’re the product with the guys that either aren’t good enough to be there or the few guys who don’t wanna be there’.”

Could Kenny Omega Leave AEW?

Speaking in an interview to promote the show, Kenny Omega was asked whether he is interested in a move to WWE. Rumours around his future with AEW have gathered pace in recent weeks, while it is believed that he is open-minded about signing with WWE. The former AEW World Champion gave little away, noting that he would go wherever his heart takes him.

H/t to Wrestle Talk