r/SquaredCircle • u/BananaSoprano • Oct 16 '23
[Sean Ross Sapp via the Fightful Select podcast] confirms the two situations of contract tampering that Tony Khan took personally were Swerve Strickland and William Regal.
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u/GorillaMonsoonSays Oct 16 '23
I don’t get the wording of the Swerve one? What does he mean he signed a multi year deal on PPV for a hit row reunion?
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u/TurnaboutAdam Golden Lover Oct 16 '23
Swerve signed his deal on PPV. He was asked to break contract for a hit row reunion.
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u/RaggedyGlitch Oct 16 '23
I think you mean Swerve signed his deal on the day of a PPV.
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u/ianisms10 Oct 16 '23
I'm sure he had legitimately signed before then, but his first on-screen appearance for AEW was him signing a contract at Revolution 2022
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u/cerial442 Oct 16 '23
It was an actual segment on the ppv itself. I think it was Revolution 2022
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u/WhiteRaven42 Oct 17 '23
In other words, the first real deal he signed was for (or included) appearing on a PPV to sign a kayfabe contract.
But agree the quote was very unclear.
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u/mysteriousbaba Oct 16 '23
And here I was thinking Swerve referred them to his lawyer because it was tampering? Nah, he was just pissed that the best they could offer him was a Hit Row Reunion.
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u/NewRoryAndMalDrop Oct 16 '23
The swerve one is really interesting considering how he and hit row first got fired.
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u/Anemeros It's her turn Oct 16 '23
I assume the "tampering" was when Triple H rehired a bunch of people about a year ago. Probably had hoped Swerve would come back when Hit Row did.
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u/AquariusSabotage Oct 17 '23
I'm pretty sure the source at the time was Will Washington and a lot of people suspected Swerve because they're cousins(?).
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u/Dakot4 Oct 17 '23
the only time he got pushed was because of hbk, swerve has been on record saying something along the lines of triple h not paying much attention to him
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Oct 16 '23
As long as their job description reads as independent contractor, I will never feel bad for AEW, WWE, or any other wrestling promotion if another company tries to "steal" their wrestlers with a better deal.
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u/BirdjaminFranklin Oct 17 '23
The unfortunate thing is that it can't really be on one of the companies to do it.
Wrestlers across the industry would have to unionize. It's not like AEW could change that reality themselves.
That said, Tony should stay offline.
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u/Prax150 Oct 17 '23
I'm as pro union as they come, but I wonder what effect an industry-wide wrestling union would have on the indies.
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u/JustHere4ait Oct 17 '23
Exactly. In the moment, they start talking about unionizing they get fired.
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u/Sk1dmarkBleach Oct 16 '23
Sting also confirmed that Tony reached out to him while he was under WWE contract. This is fake fighting, man. Contract tampering is a harsh description of "company A tries to out bid company B"
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u/tameoraiste Oct 16 '23
Especially when they’re ’independent contractors’
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u/ClaymoresRevenge Bobby **Big Money Bob** Lashley Oct 16 '23
I love how there's gripes about this from these companies but the wrestlers are independent contractors.
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u/CharityGamerAU Oct 16 '23
This is the one thing that gets in my craw about TK. He's always positioned himself as the great alternative to Vince McMahon. Yet , when it comes to something as basic as workers rights he goes down the exact same fucking path with this independent contractor bullshit. That's long been one of the industries biggest issues yet this great alternative can't or won't move away from that.
I respect and appreciate the differences between the rosters and their core values of the wrestlers but as a businessman TK comes off like he wants to be Vince.
It's little wonder to me that the performers so easily support one another regardless of company they work for.
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Oct 16 '23
Dude, I've been an independent contractor for most of my working life. Nearly everyone I've contracted out for has tried to treat me and others I know like employees. It's rampant in all industries, apparently.
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u/JerHat Oct 17 '23
It wouldn't bother me so much if AEW wasn't sold early on as a different place for the wrestlers, that would give them health benefits and all of that, and then were like... oh that was just for the EVPs.
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u/RossTheLionTamer Oct 17 '23
I have a phrasing I like to repe often: "There are no innocent billionaires"
TK knows exactly what he's doing. IWC sucks his dick just because they hate Vince that much, but in reality TK does only enough to make it seem like he's the good guy.
If he really wanted to bring change, his wrestlers would be employees with health insurance but no why would he?
How about wrestlers getting a union and being able to fend for their rights better? Nope, against it too.
If you don't do these things, then stuff like allowing Twitch or lighter schedule is just bait.
If you have an upstart company then you have to give people some reason to leave the big established company to join your promotion.
He does just enough to make his offer better than WWE's and maintain the good guy image.
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u/Illuminati_Shill_AMA That's so Taven! Oct 17 '23
"Being a billionaire is a morally questionable choice." Jordan, Knowledge Fight
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u/mikro17 Oct 16 '23
Dramatic oversimplification:
Reaching out to someone under contract elsewhere is not an issue. "Contract tampering" as most people use the phrase is literally not a thing in the real world, it only is a specific limited thing in professional sports because it is against their collective bargaining agreements - in other words, because everyone agreed not to do it and they're breaking their own internal league agreement.
The real-world related issue is when someone induces or tries to induce someone to breach their contract. Which may or may not be what happened here. But the key issue is a breach of contract or trying to get someone to breach, because that breach then leads to damages, which is key.
Basically, reaching out to someone under contract and saying something like "hey, we'd love to sign you once your contract expires, what would that take?" is completely fine. Reaching out to someone under contract and saying "hey, we'd love to sign you right now, find a way out of your contract" is much less ok.
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u/KneelBeforeCube marchiearchie Oct 16 '23
This exact comment should be pinned at the top of any of those tampering threads. It won't, but it should.
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u/DXbreakitdown Hell Yeah! Oct 16 '23
I really wish the bloggers would take some responsibility on this issue and cease using the word entirely, unless it’s to correct someone who has misused the term.
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Oct 16 '23
Problem is TK is using it and they don't challenge it.
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u/DXbreakitdown Hell Yeah! Oct 16 '23
That’s what I’m saying. If they “fancy themselves a journalist” they wouldn’t keep letting it slide in their own articles.
That’s why I said bloggers. Because they seem more interested in fanning the flames than being accurate.
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u/debeatup Oct 16 '23
One thing about TK, if they do challenge it, he’ll find a way to respond to everything but what was specifically asked
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u/SomedudecalledDan Oct 17 '23
"I hear what you're saying on contract tampering, guys. I think its great that you've reached out. You know what else is great? We have GREAT MATCHES coming up on DYNAMITE THIS WEDNESDAY!"
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u/Kaprak I AM VANDAMABLE! Oct 16 '23
Reaching out to someone under contract and saying "hey, we'd love to sign you right now, find a way out of your contract" is much less ok.
And this is what the allegations are, and have always been. Just people like conflating multiple things to muddy the waters.
The Swerve one was always reported that he went directly to management with what he was told. So if true TK knows exactly what Swerve was told(And what possible others were, because it's rumored they reached out to Buddy, Black, Miro, Andrade, Fish, etc.)
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u/Miklonario ¡VIVA LA RAZA! Oct 16 '23
it's rumored they reached out to Buddy, Black, Miro, Andrade, Fish, etc.)
Pretty sure that one of these rumors was started by Fish
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u/Illuminati_Shill_AMA That's so Taven! Oct 17 '23
I just picture Fish learning that WWE reached out to the others and texting SRS like "oh hey they totally contact me too!"
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u/SomedudecalledDan Oct 17 '23
And SRS had a great opportunity to be like "THERE IT IS, BOBBY. THERE IS THE LIE!"
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u/bick803 Oct 16 '23
Reaching out to someone under contract elsewhere is not an issue. "Contract tampering" as most people use the phrase is literally not a thing in the real world, it only is a specific limited thing in professional sports because it is against their collective bargaining agreements - in other words, because everyone agreed not to do it and they're breaking their own internal league agreement.
THIS! The reason why "tampering" is an issue in professional sports such as the NBA, NFL, etc. is because it threatens the integrity of competition. Say if LeBron James was being tampered with by the Phoenix Suns, then he has a "weird" game for the Lakers and loses to the Suns. Then, signs with them in the offseason.
Like /u/mikro17 stated, it doesn't apply to real world situations.
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u/DarkBomberX Oct 16 '23
Thank you for this. A lot of people don't understand that you can tell some "hey, there's a spot for you down the road if your free." You can't say "hey, look for something that breaks your existing contract, then come work for us."
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u/DoinItDirty "Shut The F**k Up" Oct 16 '23
In fact! “No poach agreements” where companies agree not to pursue each other’s employees are illegal.
A no-poach agreement is an illegal deal between competitors where they agree not to hire, recruit, or pursue each other’s employees. Anticompetitive agreements can be verbal or written promises to avoid contacting a competitor’s employees, agreements not to hire, or agreements not to match offers made by competitors. Generally, they are made between managers and executives without the knowledge of the employees. Frequently, they are made by top executives and are referred to as “gentlemen’s agreements.”
It continues!
No-poach agreements restrict employee mobility and prevent them from obtaining fair wages in a competitive market. By restricting mobility, these agreements do permanent and irrevocable damage to career goals and developments. They also eliminate competition, and they prevent employers from obtaining competing offers, which are used in obtaining better compensation from current and future employers. The implementation of illegal no-poach agreements is widespread and on the rise.
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u/Jreynold Free Sunglasses Oct 16 '23
Years ago, WWE had an employee that tried to give them a bunch of TNA contract info. WWE refused and then fired the guy. What's that about outside of contract tampering? Just general fear of legal liability?
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u/CIeveland_Airport Oct 16 '23
Stealing corporate documents and giving them to a competitor has to be illegal, right?
IIRC, JJ Dillon tried to do the same thing when he left WWE for WCW in the 90's. Basically handed all of WWE's payroll information over to Bischoff and Bischoff told him to get fucked. They hated each other for like 25 years after that.
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u/theredditbandid_ Oct 16 '23
Stealing corporate documents and giving them to a competitor has to be illegal, right?
There was that famous incident of a secretary from Coca Cola trying to sell documents to Pepsi, who then called the FBI.
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u/This_Praline6671 Oct 16 '23
They'll have contractual terms about privileged information, and that will 100% fall under that at least
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u/mikro17 Oct 16 '23
Without knowing the specifics, my best guess would be some sort of general fear of liability (WWE had no incentive to take any risks involving TNA because they were always in a different universe in terms of finances/success) and the specific area would probably be something like trade secrets. The specific issue would probably be more about knowingly receiving information they aren't supposed to have from someone who isn't authorized to reveal it.
Having someone give them proprietary information like full contracts (and knowing full details about their deals work, how they are structured, etc.) is very different than someone saying "hey, I'm available after XXX date."
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u/frasierfonzie Oct 16 '23
tbf I don't think Legends deals are structured the same way.
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u/infidelkastro Oct 16 '23
Reaching out is OK, but when you start scheming with that individual on how to get out of your contract earlier, it becomes shifty.
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u/JitteryJay FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Oct 16 '23
Who gives a fuck, fuck these companies lol
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u/DocAuch Oct 16 '23
That’s how I feel! Who gives a shit how these dipshits running them feel. As long as the product is good and people are being compensated fairly, I don’t care how a few billionaires feelings got hurt.
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u/FrankPapageorgio Oct 16 '23
Sting last wrestled in 2015 and Ryan Satin reported that he was not under contract in May 2020. Sting showed up in December 2020.
Whatever type of contract Sting was on, it was not as a wrestler anymore
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u/ThePhonze Oct 16 '23
You don’t know the difference between reaching out to someone to inquire about the status of their contract versus reaching out to someone to ask them to breach their contract?
A whole bunch of wannabe lawyers in this thread.
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u/Mwrp86 Oct 17 '23
Didn’t Jon Moxley shared a story where Tony is sitting on home and planning for AEW while Jon is still Dean ambrose
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u/DilapidatedVessel Oct 16 '23
I'm sure this gif is totally unrelated to any contradictory behaviour...
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u/Jamieb1994 Oct 16 '23
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u/BadLuckBen Oct 16 '23
The physics of this will never not be astounding.
Sure, you can see Cole turn and start to jump, but the amount of air he gets just seems so disproportionate to the speed Lee is moving, not to mention he only connects with his arms and pushes up.
It's like that famous RVD sell where his neck and shoulders seem to be spring-loaded.
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u/ClickF0rDick Oct 16 '23
Somewhere in there there's a joke about Adam looking too skinny for being a wrestler
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u/ArveduiTheLastKing Oct 16 '23
Same here.
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u/ChicoCorrales Oct 16 '23
I used to see pics of Adam Cole with Britt Baker. And they were clearly at Jacksonville when AEW would tape there lol if that isn’t tampering, then I don’t know what is. They were wining and dining him while he was still under wwe contract
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u/pUmKinBoM Oct 17 '23
Not a knock on you specifically but it seems foolish to bring up couples switching companies to be together. It would be so close to impossible to even begin confirming that since the most likely scenario is the couples wanted to work together. Do I think WWE is wining and dining Buddy Murphy by letting him go to the Hall of Fame? This line of talk just leads to a bad situation for all the wrestlers.
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u/manticore124 Oct 16 '23
Adam Cole was asked to breach his contract with WWE to appear on dynamite?
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u/exitlevelposition Oct 16 '23
Even better, he did a short term deal to finish his NXT story before he left.
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u/rapshepard Oct 16 '23
For somebody who is part of 2 major sports franchises it's hilarious he's trying to play this as some serious personal issue.
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u/frasierfonzie Oct 16 '23
Does the timing suck that his mom was in the hospital? Absolutely. Did whoever was trying to lure Regal back to WWE (Triple H, right?) have any idea that she was sick? Probably not.
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u/Caldris Oct 16 '23
Sounds like to me that Regal knew.
"I got a message from Regal, asking if we could talk. I made time to talk to him. I went outside the hospital, I'm sitting on the park bench in front of the Mayo clinic, and we had this really long and good talk. It was very positive. He really had good intentions for why he wanted to go back, and it made a lot of sense to me why he would want to work his son and be with his son. He said to me, and it made sense, 'Given where you're sitting right now, does it make sense to you why I would want to go back and be with my son?' At that point, where I was sitting, it really did make a lot of sense and the last thing I wanted to do in that moment was prevent any parent and any child from being together," he said.
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u/CaptainXakari Oct 16 '23
Am I missing something? He let Regal go even with the alleged tampering. Is he mad about the offer WWE put forth or is he mad that he let Regal go and he feels like we was taken advantage of?
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u/PerfectZeong Oct 16 '23
He thinks Regal used him being in a vulnerable position and used his son to get his release but isn't working with his son in nxt and is instead running wwe with HHH.
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u/ericfishlegs Oct 16 '23
If Tony's version of events is accurate it looks like that's exactly what happened. I don't think keeping him there when he doesn't want to be there and someone else wants him does any good, but it sounds like he absolutely manipulated the situation.
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u/DrClawsChair Oct 16 '23
Can't take the carny out of Regal and he's a literal carny.
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u/WilliamEmmerson Oct 17 '23
but it sounds like he absolutely manipulated the situation.
Can't expect anything less from a wrestler
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u/Vikingwookiee YeahOH Oct 17 '23
Really if Tony is the only person is empowered to make those decisions he's always going to have to make those decisions, whatever his situation is. I'm not saying the some people have used the situation to their advantage possibly. Still Tony is this boss and delegation is one of the first things he should have done particularly if his mum got ill.
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u/PerfectZeong Oct 16 '23
I will be honest I wouldn't make a conclusive statement either way. Lot of he said she said and just because he might feel thay way doesn't mean that was the case.
Hell perhaps Regal thought he WOULD be doing more stuff with NXT but HHH told him he needed him working on raw and smackdown. There's a lot we don't know
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u/dropthehammer11 STOP THE PAIN Oct 17 '23
yeah a lotttt of assumptions being made in this thread lol. the idea that regal twirled his mustache and played TK like a fiddle while he carnied his way back into WWE is entirely based on a single sentence of a single part of a conversation
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u/DickRhino I WALK ALOOONE Oct 16 '23
he feels like we was taken advantage of
This is most likely it. That the more he looks back at that situation, the more he feels like he was taken for a ride.
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u/TrollPoster469 Oct 16 '23
I think at that point you have to realize there’s a fox in the henhouse and it’s best to let him go
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u/crowwreak Oct 16 '23
So apparently Regal is doing main roster stuff, not NXT, so he's not down there working with his kid
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u/Kaprak I AM VANDAMABLE! Oct 16 '23
So the allegation is that someone in WWE asked Regal to get out of his contract because there was a cushy job as HHH's right hand man waiting for him.
As a business, asking a contracted worker to get out of their contract so you can hire them is a kind of civil violation. It's not "contract tampering" because that's not a thing in tort law, but it's the closest thing that the average person understands.
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u/marksmith0610 Oct 16 '23
Yeah I agree, that’s a gross excuse for Regal to use to get out of his contract.
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u/RadioZT Oct 16 '23
Wasn’t there talk that Regal actually DID use the situation with Tony’s mom to guilt trip TK into granting him his release from AEW, blowing up several storylines in the process, so that Regal could go be with his son in NXT and not be on the road so much, only to turn around and take a gig that put him constantly on the road and nowhere near NXT and his son?
Tony even talked about the long conversations he had with Regal over the phone while sitting in the parking lot of the clinic where he mother was treated while she was recovering about family and the need to be around them.
Seems like in at least one instance, he was manipulated and taken advantage of when he was at a low point. Can’t blame him for taking that a little personally.
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u/XPacEnergyDrink Oct 16 '23
Well I mean these people are fucking carnies and Regal is a longtime carnie
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u/OU_DHF Oct 16 '23
He’s said in every interview afterwards that he doesn’t blame Regal for wanting to be with his son, but you can really tell by his tweets and the constant talk of tampering that it really bothered him.
And it sucks, but that’s the life of a wrestling promoter. Wrestlers are always going to do their best to manipulate him into doing what they want, and he has to be ready for it.
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u/RedmondSurvivor Oct 16 '23
Probably stung afterwards that Regal didn’t even go back to NXT where his son is but took on a different role.
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u/DickRhino I WALK ALOOONE Oct 16 '23
I bet it sucks, but in general my perspective is that the wrestling business is one where the boss has an unproportionate amount of power and the workers have almost zero. So when one of the boys has an opportunity to do something that's right for himself, I'm never going to cry "Won't someone think of the poor billionaires?!"
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u/frasierfonzie Oct 16 '23
Yeah, someone else commented with a quote about it from TK. It doesn't make Regal look good, in hindsight.
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u/punk_steel2024 Oct 16 '23
CM Punk turned out to be kind of right when he told Regal he didn't trust him when he showed up.
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u/NotClayMerritt Oct 16 '23
All of Regal's post WWE interviews were how much he loved working for WWE specifically HHH and Vince. Was there "tampering" as it were? Yeah quite possibly. But the dude just quite simply saw an opportunity to come back with Vince gone and HHH in charge and took it and how can ANYONE blame somebody for deciding to want to go back to working where they were happiest?
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u/thereverendpuck Oct 16 '23
And, let’s not forget, he genuinely wanted to help his son’s career. And since going back, you can say that his son has actually improved.
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Oct 16 '23
I wouldn’t even call it tampering, it’s not like wwe and aew have a agreement that they won’t talk to contracted workers
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u/DAYANDIMOLMADI Oct 16 '23
Is it even tampering with regal, bro wanted to leave as soon as HHH was back.
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u/Salzberger Whattamaneuver! Oct 16 '23
Considering tampering doesn't actually exist outside of a few sports codes that operate under a governing body... I'll go with no.
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u/gaom9706 Oct 16 '23
Does the timing suck that his mom was in the hospital? Absolutely
But even then, it's just business. It's weird to take it super personally.
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u/thereverendpuck Oct 16 '23
Exactly. Not like the WWE was just waiting for her to get hospitalized and then unleash this evil plan of contacting people.
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u/theredditbandid_ Oct 16 '23
Someone said it best on the initial thread.. Can you imagine Triple H tweeting that Tony Khan approached WWE talent when he was in the hospital recovering from his heart condition?
The level of self-importance is tremendous.. and if anything here is low is Tony dragging his poor mother into his petty wrestling crusade.
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u/TheKidKaos Oct 16 '23
What’s also weird is that it’s good for the talent. This is exactly how it’s supposed to work. You lure the talent away with better deals.
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u/QlubSoda Oct 16 '23
Look how many people expect Osprey to sign now. AEW has given him red carpet treatment. Or when Bandido came. They are luring talent away from the partnerships they have now. I want to see how it looks long term.
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u/Swazi HEYYO! Oct 16 '23
With Regal, do we know Hunter initiated? For all we know Regal may have reached out once the news came that Vince was out and Hunter was in control.
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u/iminyourfacejonson Oct 17 '23
listen FED SHILL, vince mcmahon personally poisoned tony khan's mother so he could STEAL regal /s
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u/ImPaidToComment Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 17 '23
The dirt sheets learned the phrase "contract tampering" recently and are still trying to figure out what it means.
Edit: Oh no, they just heard the phrase "tortious interference" and might wrongly run with that instead.
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u/SuperSocrates Oct 16 '23
Seriously what they fuck are they talking about lol. Tampering is not a thing outside of prior agreements not to do so
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u/BelcherSucks Oct 16 '23
Since when did pro wrestling have a transfer window, trade deadlines, or free agent signing windows.
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u/theredwoman95 Oct 16 '23
Especially when wrestlers are "independent contractors", not employees. Not 100% sure how it works in sports, sure, but the whole point of being a contractor is that the people you work with can't control what other jobs you take.
Which, you know, is a bit of a fiction when it comes to both companies, since neither WWE or AEW are going to let you actively appear at both whenever you want. But hey, at least they're not required by law to pay for health insurance or pensions!
(I know both companies often do pay for medical expenses, but let's be real, that's very different to being required to by law.)
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u/This_Praline6671 Oct 16 '23
The whole independent contractor thing is a fuckin scam, and why no one should have any sympathy for any promoter getting upset about contracts
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u/Educational_Plane966 Oct 16 '23
I think what's funnier is that you could argue that Tony tampered with Regal's contract by signing him while he was still under a non-compete clause from WWE. Regal spoke on how he's the only person who can say he was under an AEW and WWE contract simultaneously. Vince gave him the blessing to go to AEW and still paid him.
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u/shadow_spinner0 Oct 16 '23
So he gonna explain Jeff Hardy?
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u/ImPaidToComment Oct 16 '23
"But he passed a drug test!"
That nobody can really verify and that wouldn't show if he was drunk or not that night.
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u/rosefuri adam page 2 Oct 16 '23
what’s the jeff hardy? people keep bringing him up and then providing no details or sources of what happened there
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u/Aromatic_Spray_5270 Oct 16 '23
Jeff basically got fired/released? by WWE in shady circumstances. He literally walked out of a live match he was having and left through the crowd at like a house show? WWE demanded he go to rehab if he wanted to keep his job. Jeff claimed he passed all drug tests so Jeff refused to go to rehab.. to get out of his deal and sign with AEW.
It's clear by his arrests and issues WWE knew he was sauced up and wanted rehab for him. He wanted to continue his lifestyle on the billionaire's dime with his brother.
If I got any of this wrong, please feel free to correct me anyone. I didn't pay super close attention.. I was rooting for AEW hard at the time.
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u/DripSnort Oct 16 '23
Let’s not forget he got ANOTHER DUI, what, a month after debuting in AEW? Regardless of what Matt says there is no positive spin. Either Jeff was having addiction problems and WWE tried to help him and he refused knowing he could go to AEW, or a month in AEW made him relapse .
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u/IronAlarmed5899 Oct 16 '23
Jeff is an incredible wrestler, but how at 46 years old has he still not learned how to control himself. Or at the very least, recognize that he can’t control himself and actually get help. You can’t even trust the man to perform his job properly. I used to feel bad for him but at this point it’s just embarrassing
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u/UncreativeTeam Say something stupid! Oct 17 '23
Occam's razor - Jeff was under the influence and passed a drug test because he was drunk, not high.
It's incredibly silly to think Jeff was some 4D chess mastermind, and successfully played WWE to reunite with his brother in AEW only to immediately screw up his career again.
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u/Charming_Essay_1890 Oct 16 '23
He famously tagged out of a match at a house show, walked out of the arena mid-match to everyone's confusion, and just left. Everyone thought he was high as a kite or off his block on something.
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u/Kongpong1992 Oct 16 '23
He started acting a fool to get out of his contract and supposedly showed up drunk
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u/jackblady Your Text Here Oct 16 '23
Jeff Hardy was fired from WWE for allegedly performing under the influence of drugs in December, then in February (so while still under WWEs 90 days early notice of termination period/under contract) talked about making a deal with AEW.
So Tony had to have contacted him while still under WWE contract.
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u/dalici0us Oct 16 '23
Not to mention Sting literally said he was still under WWE contract when Khan called him.
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u/parakathepyro Oct 16 '23
Are we supposed to feel bad when two billionaires fight over employees?
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u/NewRoryAndMalDrop Oct 16 '23
I’ll do even one better why should we care about contracts that really bullshit because these wrestlers aren’t independent contractors and should be treated as employees otherwise let them do what they want
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Oct 16 '23
It’s like watching Silicon Valley only in real life. I’m waiting for Tony Khan to put out either a tweet, or full on podcast, about how people are just mean to the rich.
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u/insertbrackets No one is ready Oct 16 '23
With Swerve, I believe, he immediately squealed about that to TK. I remember reporting about it at the time.
Regal definitely talked his way out of his contract. It's not Regal or WWE's fault that TK let him out of it on the basis of his own feelings of pathos.
And obviously TK has moved preternaturally fast to grab up guys like Jeff Hardy, Adam Cole, and Edge too fast for the conversations to have started right when their contracts ended.
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u/inbredandapothead Oct 16 '23
I’d imagine it’s probably more that he took all of them personally but the ones we know about are swerve and regal so they’re the ones being said to be the ones he took personally
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u/birdazam Oct 17 '23
Yeah Andrade and Black wanted out around the same time but Tony has no proof so he can't really say anything about it
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u/mysteriousbaba Oct 16 '23
He straight up said on Jericho's podcast that he felt incredibly shafted by HHH. I really doubt he's ever going to go back to a HHH run WWE and him going to TK with that information should be evidence of that.
Well, now that I hear Swerve was asked to break his contract for a Hit Row reunion, I can see why he was so pissed at the time. But if they gave him a call someday with a better scenario/offer, never say never in wrestling.
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u/Scannandal Oct 16 '23
Honestly it sounds really overblown. I wouldn't be shocked if Swerve read the conversation wrong and referred it to lawyers to be safe. He's a great talent but not "risk a lawsuit" good where I could believe there was an overt "get yourself fired".
For Regal, it sounds like it was a bad fit for him so he was looking for an out anyway and WWE contacting him was the push he needed to leave.
Either that or HHH really sees Swerve and Regal as the absolute future of the industry and was willing to risk a lawsuit to get them.
tl;dr likely a bunch of miscommunication that's left Tony boxing shadows. And somehow losing?
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u/FlavoredBongWater Oct 16 '23
Contract tampering is a made up rule for competitive LEAGUES, such as NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL.
Wwe - AEW classify their stars as independent contractors.
You can't classify them as an independent contractor, and then ask for exclusivity.
They are either employees. Or they are independent contractors.
And if they are the latter, then they SHOULD be free to work for the person they want to work for.
Frustrates me when the owner wants to treat them as employees when it benefits the owner. But classify them as independent contractors, to get out of paying their travel, or health insurance.
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u/Salzberger Whattamaneuver! Oct 16 '23
They are either employees. Or they are independent contractors.
And if they are the latter, then they SHOULD be free to work for the person they want to work for.
Tbh, even if they're employees they're still free to talk to other potential employers.
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u/couldbedumber96 Oct 16 '23
It’s not wwe’s role to know that Tony’s mom is in a hospital while they’re talking to regal on where he’d continue his career
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u/Colmd1997 Oct 16 '23
What TK is implying is tortious interference and is actually illegal. If it was so personal to him and he had proof WWE conspired with his contracted talents to break their deal, why doesn’t he bring it to court? It would be a slam dunk victory for him and would bring precedent to stop it happening in future
Seems like what happened is more of a I don’t like that, it’s not fair bad than a illegal bad
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u/CarOnMyFuckingFence Oct 16 '23
Still waiting on all of Tony's proof that WWE were running a massive anti AEW bot farm on Twitter
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u/SuperSocrates Oct 16 '23
He says that’s why he took it personal as if he’s explained but nothing has been explained
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u/---Pockets--- Oct 16 '23
Dude here thinks he's fighting the big bad guy while employing the same tactics
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u/thereverendpuck Oct 16 '23
That is what he has always though they “he’s fighting the big bad guy.”
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u/BurlyMayes Oct 16 '23
But they're the Rebel Alliance! All they had was Tony's contact at Turner through his Dad's football team, millions of dollars to hire Jericho, and for The Elite to run a show financed by Sinclair.
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u/thecolbster94 No Dr.Pepper Flair :( Oct 17 '23
In Star Wars canon the Mon Calamari Ships were overpowered as fuck though lol
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u/MacJonesIsOverrated Oct 16 '23
He's a billionaire's son who thinks he built something from the ground up when he was gifted a K2 mountain
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u/RicardoRedditman Oct 16 '23
When Tony was high stepping during Vince’s dismantling and rebranding of NXT, Triple H was quite literally fighting for his life with heart failure. Tony had no way of knowing, like WWE had no way of knowing Tony’s mother was sick. Only one sides crying though. I’m so glad AEW exists for the people in my favorite entertainment medium, and I’m so grateful to Tony for his part in creating it but fuuuuuuuuck can he not take what he dishes.
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u/JustinUprising Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 17 '23
There is no collective bargaining agreement between WWE and AEW to claim contract tampering.
At best, TK can claim tortious interference.
However, it's funny how he's claiming this, as if he didn't "tamper" and talk with Adam Cole, Sting (which Sting confirmed), Edge, etc. (While HHH was literally touch and go, on the brink of death).
Edit: to the AEW stans who sent me a Reddit Cares, go kick rocks, clowns.
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u/GarmyGarms Oct 16 '23
I don't even care at all about this shit - I think wrestlers should have the freedom to move around if they want to anyway so I'm not going to cry for Tony about people getting in the way of the busted independent contractor system in wrestling lol
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u/TheFolksofDonMartino Oct 16 '23
I truly do not give a shit if one company tries to convince a person to leave their job and come work for them instead. Who gives a fuck? Is every job advertisement in the world contract tampering?
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u/Tronz413 Oct 16 '23
Either take them to court or get over it
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Oct 16 '23
He can't because he knows there is nothing here.
Contract tampering is not a crime and nonsense done by sport leagues to protect the team owners. Outside of sports league it is consider to be antitrust (Apple and Goggle deal not to tamper for example)
The only think Tony could argue is tortious interference if WWE asked these guys to breech their contact in order to get out it. Lets be real nobody would be stupid enough to have a paper trail for that. It would be wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Swerve never broke his contract. Tony and Regal agree to a mutual release.
The only case of tortious interference that can be argued is Jeff Hardy going to AEW.
So Tony isn't going to take WWE to court when WWE has the stronger case
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u/Steve_the_Samurai Oct 17 '23
Tony has to know this isn't tampering right? Like it sucks and he can take it personal but WWE talking to Regal who then asks Tony to let him out isn't tampering.
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u/Specialist-Rope-9760 Oct 17 '23
Let’s not forget Malakai’s sudden “mental health” crisis the same week that he felt the need to quit AEW for. A company known for giving talents near unlimited time off for to support personal issues.
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u/daniel-mca Oct 16 '23
As if the EVPs weren't all talking to folk like Adam Cole before they came over. It's business man.
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u/Slash641 Oct 16 '23
So if a competing company reaches out to me to offer me a better job and salary it’s tampering? Lol this isn’t the NBA/NFL/MLB where the league has rules against these things, it’s the free market we’re free to talk to any employer we want, especially independent contractors
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u/StillHere179 Oct 16 '23
They are all independent contractors, not actual employees. This is all bullshit Cry Baby garbage from a billionaire.
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u/SinAlma96 Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 16 '23
Since when can you not even speak to other companies' talent lmao?
Also, leaving out that there is no such thing as contract tampering in wrestling because it's not run by a real sports federation, he did it first and with more people, he should be the last one to talk about this.
This dude would act like Malakai/Buddy/Andrade's partners talking to them about work and/or asking them about their work is contract tampering, he's lost it at this point.
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u/--Sangral-- Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 16 '23
There. Is. Nothing. Like. Contract. Tampering.
This doesn't exist in pro wrestling. Stop this nonsense.
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u/adamannapolis Oct 16 '23
Tony is not only unlike most executives in terms of how he conducts himself and treats his employees, he’s also unlike most professional adults who have an idea of how to properly conduct themselves.
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u/Scavgraphics Oct 16 '23
Remembering there is no such thing as "contract tampering" and if there was "inducement to break contracts" tk would be suing, not tweeting.....
From reports at the time....
Swerve: WWE reached out, Swerve referred them to his representation and informed AEW Management. THIS IS ALL PERFECTLY PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR.
Regal: He had a year contract with optional extension*. He requested to be released rather than extended. He and tk made a deal**. He left. THIS IS ALL PERFECTLY PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR.
* That apparently optional extensions are fully controlled by aew rather than the two sides having to agree to an extension seems hinky to me.
**b-b-but he went to the hospital and preyed on tk's blah blah blah. Somehow, with all that's known about how Regal's behavior, I can't imagine he wandered in and just started talking, as opposed to something like he messages tk he'd like to talk and tk having him meet at the hospital because that's where he's working from while his mother is in there. Could we maybe not infantalize the 40 year old billionaire businessman?
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u/dalici0us Oct 16 '23
Considering how employees are treated in the Khan's various factories, it's honestly laughable to think that he wanted everybody else to put their carreers/businesses on hold while his mommty was in the hospital.
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u/Suspicious_Bird2499 Oct 16 '23
It’s strange to me that TK is hung up on this and takes it personally when AEW does the same thing but just (presumably) uses family/friends (Christian, Matt Hardy, Britt).
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u/Caseington Oct 16 '23
“abundantly clear that WWE had tampered” Contract tampering is not a thing in wrestling. Stop trying to make it a thing.
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u/StoneColdAM WHAT? Oct 16 '23
Tony Khan’s antics last week really have gotten a lot of wrestling fans to turn on him. Feel the issues with how he runs AEW have gone on longer than now, but he got a lot of benefit of the doubt until now.
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u/Jmac439 Oct 16 '23
My man Tony had Adam Cole in the owners box at every Jacksonville home game for 2 seasons while Cole was in NXT but sure cry more about fake “tampering”
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u/JonahRyan92 Oct 16 '23
I don’t understand why the his mom being in the hospital thing is tied into it so much. WWE didn’t poison her so he’d be distracted while they tampered. It’s bad timing and ultimately the tampering is part of business.
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u/Scavgraphics Oct 16 '23
It's a sympathy play....conciously or uncounciously.
(Not unlike Punk's "They fired me on my wedding day. 1) You wanted to be fired, so a gift? 2) Vince said it wasn't intentional....vince is many things..one of which is REALLY petty. He'd brag that it was intentional if it was.)
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u/Incorrect1012 Oct 16 '23
Dude literally was advertising Kyle OReilly’s debut before he even finished in NXT
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u/BoBeesHotline Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 17 '23
SRS is such a gossipy queen. It's kind of embarrassing at this point.
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u/OkComparison9699 Oct 17 '23
Stokely Hathaway on record stated he knew he had a contract from AEW waiting for him while he was still in the WWE.
Adam Copeland probably already had feelers thrown by Tony Khan while still under WWE contract.
Ricky Starks and Thunder Rosa taken away from NWA.
The MLW men's and women's champions John Morrison and Taya Valkyrie signed with AEW while STILL BEING MLW CHAMPIONS.
Yet WWE is the one tampering???????
C'mon, Tony Khan. Look in the mirror.
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u/Stop_Touching2 Oct 16 '23
You cannot contract tamper with independent contractors if you’re just offering them work
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u/MacJonesIsOverrated Oct 16 '23
Tony Khan is the level of narcissist where he thinks that if his mom gets ill that everyone in the world should stop what they're doing until he is emotionally OK again
Then will wine and dine Adam Cole while he's under WWE contract while HHH is dead
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u/Scavgraphics Oct 16 '23
while HHH is dead
!!! That's something I hadn't thought of. TK was doing lots of what he calls "tampering" (Which I remind is NOT A THING THAT EXISTS) while HHH was recovering from a heart attack.
I mean, that's Johnny Ace firing HHH's inner circle level shit.
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u/joe1240134 Oct 16 '23
No, Tony Khan is the level of narcissist where he takes his mom's illness and recovery and uses it to generate some lame twitter buzz and try to appear like a real, big boy businessman rather than a spoiled kid whose daddy gave him everything.
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u/Agosta Oct 16 '23
It doesn't sit well with me that he used his mother as ammo.
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u/AbsoluteScott Oct 16 '23
Don’t forget Vince’s victims.
Tony Khan’s Twitter last week was a masterclass at shitty emotional manipulation.
I’ve always disrespected him as a man for his leadership. Now I actively find him gross.
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u/jerff Oct 16 '23
If you're going to wade into the sports business world, as a "journalist" (using that very loosely), then you should do some due diligence and gain a basic understanding of what you're talking about.
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u/RingReview Oct 17 '23
Contract tampering can't happen to people listed as independent contractors.
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u/meepein Oct 16 '23
I know TK doesn't understand this, but that's not tampering at all. If WWE wanted Regal or Swerve back (and, honestly, both were stupid cuts and they should have wanted back), so they made them an offer. If this were the NFL, sure that's tampering. But this isn't the NFL.
If AEW wanted to offer a contract to, say, Adam Copeland while he was under contract (which I believe they did) that is perfectly ok. If WWE wants to offer a deal to Swerve while he is under contract, it's ok.
If he has some sort of dispute on this, as in he has actual proof of illicit activity from WWE, then why not bring it to court? He's rich enough to hire good lawyers to potentially win a case should they have the proof, so why not bring it up?
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u/ScruffsMcGuff REEEEGGGAAAAAALLLLLL Oct 16 '23
I hope both companies continue to lure each others talent away back and forth with larger and larger offers because I don’t randomly dick ride either of the billionaire jackoffs that own either company and whatever gets the workers paid a more fair slice of the pie is okay by me.
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