AEW: Four Wrestlers' Contracts Have Expired (Update)

By Connor Casey

Four wrestlers have officially been removed from the AEW roster as their contracts have all expired — Joey Janela, Marko Stunt, Jack Evans and Stu Grayson. The first three did not come as a surprise as Janela and Evans had previously commented on their contracts not being renewed while Stunt hadn't competed in AEW since last September. Grayson's removal from the roster came as a surprise to many on Monday given the popularity of The Dark Order faction, though Dave Meltzer provided some more details on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. 

"He was removed from the roster page and the story that I'm getting is his contract expired, which is the same as Marko Stunt, Joey Janela, and Jack Evans whose names were removed from the roster page because their contracts expired. The only word kinda going around is that they failed to come to terms on a new agreement," Meltzer said (h/t Inside The Ropes). "I don't know if that means they're still talking or if that was one of the decisions made not to renew him. I can see it in a sense that they have so many guys on the roster and he's been there for 3 years and there's just so many guys. But on the flip side, Joey Janela wanted out, Marko Stunt kind of wasn't used anymore. Jack Evans was good, but the thing with Stu Grayson is in the ring, the guy's great. [...] But he wasn't a guy that got over great but as a technical wrestler he was really, really good."

Grayson arrived at Double or Nothing 2019 alongside Evil Uno as the original incarnation of The Dark Order. He stayed with the group through Brodie Lee's leadership as "The Exalted One" and the faction's eventual turn into a goofy babyface group. Janela was confirmed as one of AEW's first signees in January 2019 following his involvement at the All In pay-per-view. Stunt debuted at Double or Nothing in the Casino Battle Royale and was later made a member of Jurassic Express alongside Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Evans, who just turned 40 last month, was brought in to team with his old AAA tag team partner Angelico as The Hybrid 2. 

Update: Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Grayson was offered a new deal but the contract was not agreed upon by May 1, prompting his removal from the official AEW roster. Sapp noted, "Those that we've spoken to don't believe that the door is closed on a potential return."

Below is the full lineup for this week's AEW Dynamite. The company will return to pay-per-view on May 29 with the annual Double or Nothing event in Las Vegas. 

  • ROH Women's Championship: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mercedes Martinez
  • Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Fish (Owen Hart Cup qualifier)
  • Blackpool Combat Club vs. Angelico, The Butcher & The Blade
  • Chris Jericho vs. Santana

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