Brandi Rhodes Denies Rumor That She Bullied Kylie Rae out of AEW

Back when All Elite Wrestling first launched in 2019, it looked like Kylie Rae was going to be one of the centerpieces of the division. The promising young wrestler was clearly liked by fans when she appeared at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May, and was booked to wrestle again at the Fyter Fest show in late June. However the match was scrapped without any reason being given, and Rae was not featured on either the Fight for the Fallen or All Out cards in the months that followed. Finally at the All Out post-show press conference, AEW president Tony Khan revealed that Rae had personally requested for her release from the company.

The exact reason for her request wasn't given, and rumors quickly began to spread as Rae disappeared from social media. She returned to action in October for Impact Wrestling, but as of this writing still hasn't commented on why she left AEW. One of the rumors of her departure was that Brandi Rhodes, AEW's chief branding officer and member of the women's division, had bullied Rae out of the company. Rhodes was asked about said rumor on social media on Tuesday.

No. If that were true “literally everyone” would be saying it in public.

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) November 19, 2019

Booker T, who trained Rae via his Reality of Wrestling promotion in Houston, Texas, hinted on his podcast that Rae's reason for leaving was personal and that he was proud that she was stepping back inside the ring.

"I'm just glad she pulled herself back together and said 'I started this thing and what's more important is that I finish it.' That's the one thing, you never want to wake up and say 'I wish had finished that race when I had the chance.' That's what I appreciate more than anything," Booker said. "Kylie's not going to wake up and say 'I wish.' She's going to finish it."

Aside from Rae, none of AEW's signed wrestlers have requested their release since the company first launched. Meanwhile WWE has seen a number of wrestlers ask for a release from their contracts in recent months, including Luke Harper, Mike Kanellis, Sin Cara and Oney Lorcan (reportedly). WWE has denied each of their requests, while also signing a large group of wrestlers to new, multi-year contracts including Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Braun Strowman and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.