on aew non-compete clauses
source: @ithinkiwont, twitter, screenshot

A lot has been talked about on AEW non-compete clauses, and we have a bit more. Plus, Tony Khan is getting to work repairing the AEW-AAA relationship.

On AEW Non-Compete Clauses

There has been a bit of chatter on AEW non-compete clauses of late, and we’ve got some more to discuss.

For anyone somehow not familiar with non-compete clauses, specifically as they work in pro wrestling, let’s have a recap.

From the WWE perspective, contracts have pretty much always had a non-compete clause in them. Effectively, for 90 days after the expiration of a contract, the performer couldn’t show up elsewhere.

For those in NXT, most non-competes were 30 days, and during the rash of COVID releases, that 30 versus 90 days clause came up a few times.

So, now that we are seeing AEW contract expirations come up (yes, the company has now been around that long), what about AEW non-compete clauses?

Well, a couple things.

And, all of this comes to us thanks to Fightful.

First, there is some talk about the US government making non-compete clauses illegal. Anyone who signs a contract can also be subject to a non-compete (common in certain industries, like tech).

Of course, most of those boilerplate non-competes are truly hard to enforce (some are so vague as to imply a company could fire you but then also prevent you from working in the same industry for a while).

Still, making them officially moot wouldn’t be a bad thing. Except, WWE and AEW would be impacted…right?

on aew non-compete clauses

source: @ithinkiwont, twitter, screenshot

Wrong.

Turns out, per AEW sources, basically no AEW contract has a formal non-compete by default.

There are always chances for exceptions. William Regal departed the company after a short run, and part of his exit was a non-compete covering WWE TV appearances for a year.

Some expect if CM Punk’s AEW contract is terminated, he may have a similar non-compete in order to keep him out of WWE.

But, unlike WWE, whenever an AEW contract expires, the talent is free to work anywhere the next day.

Does that mean, for example, we could see FTR back on WWE television really soon?

Tony Khan Repairing AAA Relationship

Like him or not, many have praised his ability to get along, but now Tony Khan is said to be repairing the AEW-AAA relationship.

As fans know, Khan and AEW have extensive relationships with promotions around the globe. It is one of the appealing qualities of AEW.

One such relationship is with Mexico’s AAA promotion, headed up by Lucha legend Konnan.

If you didn’t know, the relationship has been on the ropes recently.

Current AEW taf team FTR held the AAA tag titles for over a year, until they dropped them to the AAA team of Dragon Lee and Drallistico.

No biggie, right?

Normally, probably not. Except that shortly after the title change, Dragon Lee announced he was heading to WWE.

That didn’t go over well, and now Khan has put in work repairing the delicate relationship.

In all honesty, having so many agreements with otherwise competing promotions has to be challenging. Lots of promoters want to protect their guys.

on aew non-compete clauses

source: @wonf4w, twitter, screenshot

But, in the grand scheme, if everyone plays nice, the agreements can boost business for all. Things seem better once again, with AEW sending Christopher Daniels down to AAA for a big tournament.

That, and after a bit of pandemic and injury related delays, AEW fans did get this dream match…so things are trending up.

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