According to a report, Mark Stunt is leaving AEW. He hasn’t appeared on television for about six months, and it seems his deal with the company expires this May. What’s the reason why he hasn’t been re-signed? Details below.
Reason Mark Stunt Wasn’t Re-Signed
As per Fightful Select, Christopher Daniels called Mark last week, on behalf of the company’s talent relations department. He informed Stunt that AEW will not be renegotiating his deal.
Guys I have to come clean about something, and I really should’ve been up front in the beginning.
There’s no chance Of me getting any taller…I’m sorry to those of you that held out, but I have to say…that journey is behind us. Thank you for your support during these times.
— Mr. Fun Size (@realmarkostunt) January 15, 2021
According to the report, Daniels noted to Stunt that his contract would not be renewed because of a massive roster and budget cuts. It seems like Chris also stated that there was a change in creative plans for the Jurassic Express faction.
More On The Reason Mark Stunt Wasn’t Re-Signed
The Fightful Select report also reveals that in October 2021, Mark dealt with a concussion. He was not booked with the company after this.
He did contact AEW, hoping he could “prove” himself enough to get re-signed. Sadly, he didn’t hear back.
The report also states that the conversation went “well” with Daniels. The split between Stunt and AEW seems amicable.
Mark Stunt first debuted with the company during AEW’s first-ever Double or Nothing pay-per-view (PPV), which took place in May 2019. He spent most of his time with Jurassic Express turning his tenure with the promotion.
The last time Stunt was on AEW TV was the October 4th Elevation episode last year, which was originally taped in late September. He and Fuego del Sol went up against Wardlow and Shawn Spears (and lost).
What’s next for Mark Stunt? He announced earlier this year that he was open for independent bookings.
Stunt made an appearance at The Wrld On GCW in January 2022. He also worked GCW’s Don’t Tell Me What To Do, this past February.
Speaking of AEW, it seems as if Tony Khan has a unique rule for his talent when it comes to the WWE flagship event. More on this, below.
AEW Policy On WrestleMania
With his recent Ring of Honor (ROH) purchase, Tony Khan is set to present the Supercard of Honor this Friday in Dallas. In fact, a number of AEW stars will be busy in Texas this week and during the weekend.
Source: @AbnishekPW,Twitter, Screenshot
With that said, Khan prefers that AEW not “piggyback” on WrestleMania. Brian Cage spoke about this with GV Wire, recently.
He notes that he fought for exclusivity in his AEW contract, so he could work with independents. However, Brian states that Khan would rather his stars not work shows in Dallas during WM weekend.
What’s Tony Khan’s Logic Around The Policy?
Brian notes the reasoning for this is that Tony doesn’t want it to look as if AEW is “beneath” WWE. He doesn’t want AEW to be affiliated with anything that happens “around” WM weekend.
Cage could’ve done a slew of shows that weekend, but he chose not to. Best to respect the boss’s wishes and company policy.
Sounds like, after ROH’s show on Friday, Tony Khan and AEW will refrain from any events during WrestleMania week/weekend, moving forward. It’s important to note that the ROH show was organized well before Tony’s purchase of the promotion.
