AEW recently released several names from its roster, including Brent and Brandon Tate, known as ‘The Boys.’ Their departures surprised fans, especially considering their involvement in the ongoing storyline between Dalton Castle and Johnny TV.
At the ROH Supercard of Honor press event, Tony Khan disclosed that the Tates had been absent from work on multiple occasions. This prompted Khan to release them, though he emphasized the difficulty of this decision.
Khan clarified that these releases were part of AEW’s careful budget management, ensuring resources are available to pursue top talent in the industry.
Brandon Tate, who previously denied Tony Khan’s story, but he deleted that tweet, has now responded with a lengthy story. He told all about the Twins’ time in AEW, and what led to the alleged story around them no-showing events.
He said that The Twins had initially intended to maintain silence regarding their release from AEW, in order to avoid overshadowing the significance of the upcoming ROH Supercard event. However, following Tony Khan’s remarks and the overwhelming support from fans, media outlets, friends, and colleagues, they felt compelled to address the situation publicly.
Brandon Tate and his brother were informed that they would be prominently featured in the storyline leading up to Supercard, alongside Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie. They were encouraged to pitch ideas for their characters, suggesting that they would have opportunities to showcase their wrestling abilities in the future.
However, on March 16th, the scheduled date following a storyline development, which involved Dalton Castle losing custody, they encountered an unprecedented change in their travel arrangements. Instead of departing from their home airport in Knoxville, their travel was booked out of Nashville. This departure from their usual travel pattern, which previously involved Sinclair ROH and now Tony Khan’s ROH, raised questions and concerns.
He said the next thing that took place was their release. They were told they were let go due to budget cuts, with no mention of them no-showing any event.
On Monday April 1st, we were contacted by management accompanied by HR on a call to inform us of our release due to “budget cuts.” At that time we raised concerns and repeatedly questioned if the release was due to the travel issues, we were repeatedly and adamantly assured that this was not the case and based solely on budget cuts. Since Tony’s statement, we reached out yesterday providing the specific details asking for Tony to clear this up. We have gotten no response. Unfortunately in the court or public opinion for a lot of people commenting, it’s assumed that we’re guilty from 1 man’s words until we now have to prove we’re not.
This had to be addressed. pic.twitter.com/EZVMAfomeK
— THE Boys (Brandon) (@TateTwinBrandon) April 5, 2024
AEW’s Recent Signings
It was a very interesting turn of events to see AEW release so many names from their roster. This came after Tony Khan stated for so long that he intends on fulfilling any contract he signs.
AEW has just inked big contracts with Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Mercedes Mone. That was followed by some cuts. We will have to see if Tony Khan has any response to Brandon Tate, but he’s been radio silent for now.
In the end, those released names were The Boys, Dasha Gonzolaz, Jose The Assistant, Jora Johl, Anthony Henry, Gravity, Stu Grayson, Parker Boudreaux, and Slim J. You may find an updated list of AEW’s 2024 releases here with our tracker.
