Former announcer Kevin Kelly and tag team ‘The Boys’ suing AEW over firings
Nearly three months after promising to, Kevin Kelly is taking legal action against All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
As first reported by The Wrestling News, the former AEW announcer is suing the pro wrestling promotion for his firing. Joining Kelly in his lawsuit are Brandon and Brendan Tate — the tag team known as “The Boys” — who were also fired by AEW earlier this year.
Per The Wrestling News, the trio of ex-AEW talents are seeking “to void the arbitration clause of their talent contracts, as well as requesting the court certify a class-action suit against AEW over claims the company is misclassifying its wrestling talent as independent contractors, rather than employees.” Taking to X, Stephen P. New, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit on the trio’s behalf, commented on the matter.
“How fitting and appropriate that on Labor Day weekend a lawsuit is filed seeking to correct, among other things, the abhorrent practice of misclassification of pro wrestlers as independent contractors and not employees,” New wrote. “All AEW wrestlers are now members of this putative class.”
How fitting and appropriate that on Labor Day weekend a lawsuit is filed seeking to correct, among other things, the abhorrent practice of misclassification of pro wrestlers as independent contractors and not employees. All AEW wrestlers are now members of this putative class https://t.co/lEARTPAhBt
— Steve New (@StephenPNew) September 4, 2024
An AEW spokesperson said in a statement to The Takedown’s Steven Muelhausen, “AEW does not comment on pending litigation.”
While Kelly and The Boys’ firings weren’t connected, both were controversial in their nature.
First hired as the lead announcer of AEW’s weekly Saturday show, AEW Collision, in 2023, Kelly seemingly quickly fell out of favor in the company while engaging in a personal feud with fellow AEW announcer Ian Riccaboni. According to Kelly, Riccaboni criticized him on a pro wrestling Discord server, portraying him as a QAnon supporter due to his public support of the controversial film Sound of Freedom.
Appearing on Eric Bischoff’s Wise Choices podcast in June, Kelly detailed the impact his personal issues with Riccaboni had on his relationship with AEW, who fired him shortly after he went on a social media tirade in March. In addition to suing AEW for breach of contract, Kelly also seeks monetary damages from Riccaboni, accusing his former colleague of defamation.
Real name Kevin Foote, Kelly is seeking monetary damages claiming, among other things, that AEW breached his contract, and has interfered with ability to find work elsewhere. Also named in the lawsuit is AEW announcer Ian Riccaboni, whom Kelly also seeks monetary damages from and…
— The Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsAV) September 4, 2024
As for The Boys, the tag team was released from AEW in April, with the company’s owner and president, Tony Khan, initially claiming that the duo had shown multiple dates they had been booked for. The Tate Twins, however, claimed that they had only missed dates due to miscommunications with the company regarding their travel plans.
The brothers are accusing Khan of defamation as a part of their lawsuit.
In April, it was reported that the Tate Brothers, known professionally as “the Boys”, were released from their Ring Of Honor contracts due to budget cuts. ROH owner Tony Khan claimed during media events that their release was due to no-showing several events, a claim the brothers…
— The Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsAV) September 4, 2024
Like most lawsuits in pro wrestling, it’s hard to imagine this one makes it to a trial, whether it’s thrown out or settled beforehand. Breach of contract and defamation accusations aside, the question of whether pro wrestling talents should be classified as independent contractors or employees has been a highly debated topic dating back to the 1980s, and AEW presumably wouldn’t want to leave that answer in the hands of a judge or jury.
It’s also worth noting that New, one of the attorneys representing the group, is also the lawyer for former pro wrestling manager-turned-podcaster Jim Cornette, who has established a reputation for being critical of AEW and Khan. Ultimately, such a lawsuit possesses the potential to create a pro-wrestling-like spectacle, but it remains to be seen how much buzz it will build past the initial reporting of its existence.
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