With one of AEW’s former EVPs and founders having left and joined WWE months ago, there have been plenty of rumors and reports of others showing interest in following Cody Rhodes, and that was while Vince McMahon was still in charge.
The reason was said to be that they hoped to get a similar deal Cody did and would get a similar push.
But now that CM Punk has taken the unprofessional route by airing everything during a media scrum and the ensuing fight that saw a bunch of AEW talent suspended, including EVPs the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, things could be shifting.
Looking for a new home
As reported by wrestlingnews.co, The Wrestling Observer‘s Ryan Frederick, their MMA reporter, shared a response to a member about the Young Bucks sending out feelers.
According to Frederick, he’s heard from multiple people that the Nick and Matt Jackson have their friends in the WWE putting out feelers for them, but he also said it’s a non-story as they’re just working to get themselves a good deal come contract time.
“In this instance, though, what I said is 100% true and I have it from multiple people. It’s also not a big deal and not really newsworthy. It’s not like they actually reached out to WWE management. They told a friend in the company, a fellow wrestler, that they would be willing to listen to offers when their deals are up (I believe January 2024) and to let it be known. It’s something every single wrestler in the business should be doing- it’s called maximizing your leverage. It is no different than an NFL or MLB player coming into the final year of their contract and letting it be known they are going to free agency and listening to offers from the other teams. And, in the sense of independent contractors, it’s not different than a NASCAR or Formula One driver letting other teams know that their contract runs out at a certain time and they’ll be listening to offers. Except wrestling is a weird business where you have to use your friends on the other side to let this message be known.
“It does not mean they want to leave. It means they’re looking to get the best deal they can. That’s it. It’s a non-story. And if you’re a wrestler with a deal coming up in the next 18 months and you aren’t playing both sides, you need to fix that.
“And it doesn’t matter if it was now or at any point in the future before their contracts run out, they were going to reach out. It’s inevitable and why this is a complete non-story to be honest (and the feeler I was talking about happened before the incidents of this past weekend for the record- it was a few weeks ago). It’s just plain common sense.”
While there’s always a chance the Bucks could leave, it makes sense they’ll try to get the best deal they can when their current contracts run out.
Things could take a curious turn after their altercation with Punk, and we can’t blame them if that’s the case.
Do you think the Bucks will ever leave AEW or is this just a contract negotiation tactic like it appears to be? Let us know in the comments below.
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