In a surprising move, AEW boss Tony Khan went back on a long-held promise and released a slew of talents from the roster to begin in April in what looks to be a surprising cost-cutting measure for the promotion.
Every year, there is a point on the calendar where WWE does as many major sports organizations do, and reevaluates its roster to see if any cuts can be made to free up money and move on from talent that is not getting much use. However, Tony Khan always claimed he would not let go of talent until the contracts they signed officially expired.
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Well, that changed this week when it was reported that AEW was making a surprise round of roster cuts. In several reports on Tuesday morning, it was revealed that Gravity, Parker Boudreaux, Jose The Assistant, Jora Johl, Slim J, The Tate Twins (aka Dalton Castle’s Boys), Anthony Henry, Stu Grayson, and ring announcer Dasha Fuentes were all released from their contracts.
PW Insider reporter Mike Johnson claimed after the news broke that “AEW is currently evaluating their talent roster and making cuts to benefit both the company and the talents. The belief is the released talents would be 100% free agents immediately.”
The moves were obviously made to cut costs, which could be connected to poor ticket sales at events this year and diminished ratings that could be affecting advertising revenue as well. If AEW decides to make more releases to free up money, here are six other wrestlers who could be let go from the company soon.
Miro
Miro has been one of the big disappointments when it comes to the former stars from WWE who have joined the roster since it started in 2019. His booking has been inconsistent due to injuries and a lack of organization in AEW storytelling. Now that he and his wife, fellow AEW performer CJ Perry are getting divorced, don’t be surprised if the man WWE fans know as Rusev gets released from his contract to avoid more backstage drama for the company.
Angelo Parker
When the Jericho Appreciation Society was disbanded last year, much of the faction outside of Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia have seen their use by the company go into a steep decline. None more so than Angelo Parker who has not been seen on AEW TV since January. Outside of a move to Ring of Honor, Parker could definitely be a performer the bean counters look at as a potential roster cut.
Keith Lee
Like Miro, Keith Lee is another WWE alum who has been a letdown in AEW. However, unlike Miro, the big man’s health decline has been the major cause of his limited success in the No. 2 company in professional wrestling. While Tony Khan has been loyal to Lee since he signed in 2022, now could be the time when the promotion boss has to make the tough decision to move on from the snake-bit but talented former NXT champion.
AR Fox
There was a time when it seemed like the AEW creative team might put a concerted effort behind making AR Fox a worthwhile name on the roster. However, that now seems like a long time ago. Since the heights of his short-lived feud with Darby Allin last summer, Fox has slipped into a jobber role in ROH, and at this point, he does not have a ton of value for the company. Which means he could be in the crosshairs of being cut by the company soon.
Ortiz
With former teammate Santana gone from the company, it just seems like it’s a matter of time before the promotion pulls the trigger on also moving on from Ortiz. With the direction the television product is going currently, Ortiz seems out of place on the current AEW roster and is not at his best as a solo performer.
Ethan Page
Ethan Page is a rock-solid performer with upside, however, he has not been seen in months and has not been a part of a meaningful storyline since last year. He was mostly used in Ring of Honor to end 2023, and has made more independent dates in 2024 than for AEW or ROH in 2024. If Tony Khan does not have a plan for Page, he might as well let him walk and get a chance somewhere like NXT.
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