We wish them all the best...

On Friday, May 30th, Mariah May was removed from the roster page on AEW's website, followed by reports of her contract nearing its end date and she's expected to sign with WWE "imminently". Abadon had also announced that their contract was ending, and by the end of the day there were reports of Bear Bronson's contract not being renewed as well.

Two days later, Ron "R-Truth" Killings announced his departure from WWE over the weekend, as the company won't be renewing his contract. Eight days earlier, he was in the ring with John Cena, the company's top champion, on a network tv special, so this was seen as shocking by most of the online wrestling ecosystem. A run that started with doing dark matches and house shows during the George W. Bush administration ended in a two-minute match against some new guy that's built like Matanza Cueto.

Later that day, it came out that Carlito is also reaching the end of his contract. Less shocking than Truth leaving, sure, but he was in The Judgement Day! You know, Edge's old group. Didn't he take Truth's place? I don't follow it that closely, but that's how I've perceived it. So yeah, on its own it wouldn't be such a thing, but when compounded by the Truth news, it starts to feel bigger. Fast forward to Monday, and Sarah Logan announces that her contract with WWE is ending, too.

News of performers leaving a promotion isn't new, but usually its a result of a contract being terminated. All these contracts are , and they're free to start planning their next move without restriction. Mariah May notwithstanding, this is a group of journeypeople being let loose onto the free agent market. It's not ideal, but it's nothing new, either.

WWE has come to terms on the release of [performer]. We wish [them] all the best in [their] future endeavors.

In the years before the launch of AEW^[1], the US-based pro-wrestling market was in a stranglehold by one major brand. WWE^[2] had long established itself as the global superpower in the business, which created a system that led to yearly releases in the weeks following WrestleMania. "Future endeavors" became a meme among wrestling fans because WWE put out the same statement for every wrestler they released during that time. The company can't even be bothered to acknowledge when they've made these cuts anymore. Clearly, they believe that their audience is either just as indifferent to the performers as they are or too stupid to notice a prominent character has disappeared, though it's hard to determine which.

In either case, the social media response to these stories suggests that they're wrong. The fans who will notice a wrestler's absence spend time opining on where it all went wrong, how they should have been booked, maybe even how it will affect the show's continuity. Those who aren't indifferent to the performers will loudly proclaim their position, either in support of the performer or celebrating their departure^[3].

After the announcemnt of AEW's launch, things started to change. Roster cuts were replaced with "talent hoarding," with WWE signing extensions with a huge portion of full-time performers, in an attempt to limit AEW's pool of free agents. The most common reports suggested these were extensions of up to five years, but a lot of those were cut in 2020 to protect WWE's stock price from the effects of Covid lockdowns. After that, the talent hoarding experiment was dead, and cuts became a more frequent occurrence. By contrast, AEW's practice of letting a contract run to its expiration helped fuel the narrative that AEW is run by the more benevolent billionaire. With a few exceptions^[4], this has been how both sides have managed their rosters since 2019.

There has been an increase in those exceptions recently, like this past weekend, as WWE is deciding more often to let contracts expire. So now the only comparison to make is how those talent are treated before their contracts expire. AEW has been accused of using the "silent treatment" when there seems to be a decision made about someone's future with the company. In a business of promoters extracting profit off of other people sacrificing their bodies, refusing to communicate with those people is incredibly disrespectful. Considering that R-Truth and Carlito were regularly booked, and Sarah Logan was part of the War Raiders act before going on maternity leave^[5], you could make the case that at least WWE is using these people while they can. There was a time when WWE fans would criticize the company for refusing to honor the full length of their deals, so even if you don't like to see the talent leave, it's better than it used to be.

Now, let's address the Mariah May of it all. Former AEW World Champion, the biggest, most obvious star with the highest upside in the group. Her run in AEW told a great story, elevating both her and Toni Storm, ending with one of the best matches the company has seen. There were plenty of other matches we didn't get to see her in, but the Hollywood Ending was such a strong way to go out that I think it's worth it for now. As I'm writing this, she's just debuted on NXT^[6], but it's not like she can't go back to AEW in the future.

But I can't ignore the part that really isn't worth it: the rumor that she, like Stephanie Vaquer before her, rejected a higher value offer from AEW in pursuit of a "dream job" with WWE. Sure, everyone's motivations are different, but it's not like they can't afford to match the AEW offer. WWE has demonstrated how disposable they view the talent they need to make their product. Their corporate partners in the UFC have worked for years to pay their fighters as little as possible, and it seems like that strategy is making it's way into WWE. There is absolutely no reason to make that easier for them. Imagine going back in time to the 1980s and telling wrestlers that, 40 years in the future, workers will be taking less money for the chance to work for Vince Jr.'s son-in-law.

With all of the announcements of record breaking ticket sales, brand-sponsored matches, logos on the ring apron/mat/turnbuckles, even an often ill-fated tower of PRIME Hydration bottles, the companies' financial successes are inescapable when you watch the product. Yet, without any guarantees that the company will see out the entire length of the contract, or that talent won't be stuck with the medical bills to treat the long-term affects of working for the promotion, while also paying for their own travel and lodging when they're on the road, that's their "dream job"? Shouldn't performers expect more from a dream? Doesn't accepting less than you deserve make it harder for the next performer during their contract negotiations?

Obviously, Mariah is the exception in this batch of departures in terms of "what's next" for them, but the others still have options. It may not be with the other major US promotion, but they don't have to start selling mortgages if they don't want to. The independent wrestling scene is seemingly healthy, with a few "super-indies" out there who are sure to be giving these folks a call, but as long as the performers are exploited by the "independent contractor" model, the same patterns will continue.

But, much like the final minutes of a wrestling show, we're out of time here, folks! Tune in next time, where we'll dive deeper into what it will take to break these cycles, whose job that is (or isn't), and why it's not as simple as fans posting about a wrestlers' union.

Good night, everybody!