Ex-AEW Star – “What I Like About Pro Wrestling Wasn’t Happening In AEW”
A former AEW wrestler has explained why he left the company by saying what he liked and appreciated about pro wrestling wasn’t happening in All Elite Wrestling.
Frankie Kazarian is a wrestling veteran that currently works for Impact Wrestling, but he also worked for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and was even part of meetings from before the company was launched in January 2019.
As a 25-year pro wrestling veteran, Frankie Kazarian has done a lot in the business from his long run in TNA/Impact Wrestling, he was in ROH for many years, he had a stint in WWE, there were many years on the independent circuit and he was in AEW from day one.
In his AEW career, Frankie Kazarian’s team known as So Cal Uncensored (with Scorpio Sky & Christopher Daniels) were the first Tag Team Champions in company history when they won the titles in October 2019.
That AEW run ended in late 2022 when Kazarian requested his release. He had spent some time working in Impact Wrestling again since he wasn’t doing much in AEW. That led to his All Elite departure and he officially signed a new long-term contract with Impact in January 2023.
On the Kurt Angle Show recently, which is hosted by WWE & TNA/Impact Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Frankie Kazarian explained his AEW departure.
“When I left last year, I still had two years left on my contract. I made the decision to leave. I still had two years left. I probably could have been there much longer. I re-signed at the end of 2021 and hindsight being what it is, I probably shouldn’t have, but again, AEW, I was there since before day one.”
“I was there when this was a germ of an idea. I was there discussing this company when they didn’t even have initials attached to them in these rooms with Cody and The Bucks and Page and Sky and C.D. So again, I was committed. I was like I want to try to, you know, ride this thing out.”
As he continued, Kazarian explained that things he liked about pro wrestling weren’t happening in All Elite Wrestling.
“It just became apparent to me that what I like and what I appreciate about pro wrestling and the way I like it presented was not happening at AEW, and that’s not an indictment of them. It’s just what they perceive as good television wrestling and what I do are different things, and just the business model, everything.”
“Again, it was one of those things I feel, and still do to this day, that I feel that I have so much more to offer than what I was being utilized for in AEW. So I bet on myself and I made the decision to walk away and I am very thankful I did. It’s by far the best decision I could have made where I am right now.”
As for his Impact Wrestling career, Frankie Kazarian picked up a big win at the Against All Odds pay-per-view on Friday night when he defeated Eddie Edwards in the opening match on the show.