During an interview with former AEW wrestler and Dark Order member Alan Angels, Chris Jericho confirmed that "quite a few" members of the AEW roster were offered a "pay-per-appearance" deal in the aftermath of their original contracts expiring.
Angels spoke on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast about his release, and shared how thankful he was to get a chance from Tony Khan and AEW to wrestle during the first stages of the pandemic.
"You're not the only one that got offered a per-appearance deal after their contract was done," Jericho responded. "[It] happened to quite a few guys. Because, once again, now [that] the first couple years of AEW is over ... CM Punk is here now, Adam Cole is here, Bryan Danielson is here. It's not a cut-down on you. It's just the way the whole financial contract scene went in AEW."
Angels' contract with AEW expired at the end of June, and he opted not to accept the "pay-per-appearance" offer, joining former Dark Order alum Stu Grayson in leaving the company. Though Jericho did not name any specific wrestlers, it seems likely that Grayson's situation was similar to Angels'.
In the past, former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes spoke on the structure of the company's contracts. Rhodes explained that AEW has different tiers of contracts which each include a different pay structure, including a "pay-per-appearance" level. It seems as though Tony Khan has become more restricted on which talents receive higher-tier contracts with the influx of more costly names such as Punk, Cole, and Danielson.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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