Tony Khan’s Refusal to Release AEW Talent Could Be Tied to Ethan Page’s WWE NXT Success

Ethan Page parted ways with AEW after requesting his release and wasted no time joining NXT earlier this year and he already saw lots of success there. In fact, a former AEW star believes Page’s swift move to NXT is the reason why Tony Khan won’t be releasing talent again anytime soon.

While speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt Hardy was asked about Ricky Starks’ current situation in AEW as the company simply does not use him or release him.

Hardy understands Tony Khan’s decision to hold someone under contract until the end of their deal, especially if the talent is being paid. He sees this as common in the business of pro wrestling. While Hardy personally might have a different approach, where he would consider releasing someone who no longer wants to be there and is just sitting at home, he feels that the situation with Ethan Page is a major reason why AEW is now hesitant to release talent.

In the case of Ethan Page, after requesting his release from AEW, he quickly joined NXT and became a big star there. That is why Matt Hardy believes Page’s swift move to NXT has made Tony Khan more cautious about releasing talent in the future and ultimately not wanting to release them at all anytime soon.

“I guess if there’s a dispute, and maybe someone voices an opinion that goes against the company or says they don’t want to work there—whatever it might be—and again, I don’t know any of this, but I understand Tony Khan holding someone under contract until the end of their deal. I mean, if they’re being paid, it is what it is. They signed a contract, and this happens in business all the time. It’s nothing new in pro wrestling. That’s why I’m not going to be too critical of it—it’s just how business is conducted. In theory, if you sign a contract, you’ve agreed to fulfill that time, so it is what it is. Now, I personally feel a bit different.

If I were the boss—and I’m not—but if I were, and someone came to me saying, ‘Hey, I’m not happy here, I’d like to move on, I’d like to do this or that,’ I’d understand that. I’d probably think differently. If someone doesn’t want to be there and I’m paying them to just sit at home, I’d probably release them. But I think after the Ethan Page situation—where he asked for a release, was granted it, showed up in NXT, and then became a hit there—I don’t think that kind of thing is going to happen anytime in the new future in AEW.”

Even Ethan Page previously revealed that he joined NXT since he was not getting great opportunities in AEW. As for Ricky Starks, his future in AEW remains uncertain and after being pulled from future GCW events, there is no telling if he will ever work in AEW again until his contract expires.

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