Earlier this week, Rey Fenix seemingly received his long-awaited release from AEW and will likely soon join his brother Penta in WWE. Fenix joins a string of recent AEW releases, all of whom had issues with the company and wanted out. Speaking on "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer shared his perspective on how these releases could affect the younger promotion.
"Between the four guys, AEW, by releasing them you know, it's a significant amount of money [saved]," Meltzer said. "You're probably talking about $3 million to $4 million a year in cost, for guys you're not using."
While it makes sense from a financial point of view, Meltzer pointed out that there may be some negative ramifications from Tony Khan letting the performers out of their contracts early. Namely, it could encourage WWE to reach out to wrestlers and convince them to leave AEW in the same way as people like Fenix, Malakai Black, and Ricky Saints (previously known as Ricky Starks). Khan has previously accused WWE of "contract tampering," with the AEW co-owner speaking out on social media in 2023.
"Before, it was a tough situation because [Khan] wasn't going to let guys break their contract, and now it's a different situation because they know he will," Meltzer continued. "I've seen that for different companies over years. The only way you get any respect from WWE is threatening to sue, and that has happened."
Meltzer cited former Ring of Honor owner Sinclair as one company that has threatened legal action against WWE, and on a smaller scale MLW has done the same thing in recent years. While these releases may be best for AEW in the short-term, Meltzer expressed his opinion that it could cost Khan down the line.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
