Below are a couple of top AEW & WWE news stories of the day.
• WWF Veteran Kevin Kelly, who joined AEW as the lead play-by-play announcer for Collision, was later released, allegedly due to his social media posts accusing Ian Riccaboni of sabotaging his career and libel.
Kelly had voiced his issues with Riccaboni and claimed that AEW offered him a severance package, which was retracted when he didn’t sign a form.
In an update, Kevin has claimed on social media that his termination from All Elite Wrestling followed a “mental breakdown”. The case, initially filed in Pennsylvania, has been relocated to Florida courts, where AEW and the other defendants are advocating for the matter to be moved to arbitration. Their argument is based on contractual clauses signed by Kevin and his co-plaintiffs, The Tate Twins.
Here’s what Kevin tweeted:
“All I wanted to do was call wrestling. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have to listen to a stuttering son of a billionaire feeding me lines and then correcting himself and telling me I was doing great. They waited until I had a mental breakdown to fire me.”
As of now, the court has not made a ruling on the motion to compel arbitration. The case continues to develop, with both sides awaiting further legal determinations on how the dispute will proceed.
WATCH: Stephanie McMahon N!p-Slip (Wardrobe Malfunction) – Part 1:
• United States District Judge Sarah F. Russell, presiding in the District of Connecticut, issued a ruling today denying Janel Grant’s motion for a status conference in her lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis.
Judge Russell noted that the prior stay on the case has been lifted, allowing Grant to proceed with filing her amended complaint. The deadline for this submission is January 31, 2025. The court specified that any arguments or updates Grant wishes to present can be included in this amended filing.
Additionally, the Judge denied WWE and McMahon’s efforts to move the case to arbitration at this stage. This issue will remain unresolved until after Grant submits her amended complaint.
Should she fail to meet the filing deadline, the court may make a ruling on the arbitration request after January 31.
