GCW Owner Brett Lauderdale Provides Update On AEW Relationship

All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley is calling Tony Khan’s promotion his home for the long run. Moxley recently inked a five-year extension with AEW, which will not only keep him in the company until 2027 but will also expand his roles into coaching and mentoring positions. This new deal also means that Moxley will “work exclusively for AEW and its international partners,” which includes New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, and others. While it is not explicitly stated, the belief is that Moxley is done with independent promotions for the time being, most notably meaning his time with Game Changer Wrestling is wrapped up. Moxley reigned as GCW World Champion for 399 days before dropping the title to Nick Gage last month, and has not been seen on GCW programming since.

Speaking to Fightful, GCW owner Brett Lauderdale addressed rumblings that AEW talent were banned from working GCW shows, noting he’s unaware of the possible edict.

“If there is such a thing, that has never been communicated to me. If that is a new rule, nobody told me that. I still have good relationships with AEW talent and I still discuss opportunities with them,” Lauderdale said. “Even that [Moxley being done with GCW] may be taking a leap. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moxley turn up at a GCW event two months from now.”

Lauderdale’s aspirations for Moxley’s return aligns with previous reports that Moxley will be allowed to work independent dates as a surprise rather than as a promoted appearance.

While there’s uncertainty at the moment, Lauderdale emphasized that he personally believes GCW is still in good standing with AEW.

“I don’t think the relationship is dead. I don’t think there’s a ban,” Lauderdale said. “There’s always different guidelines and certain people that are or aren’t available. The rules on how, when and why change all the time. I hear about new changes for everybody all the time. That’s the thing with wrestling: things change every day.”

Beyond Moxley, AEW talent like Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho have competed for GCW in the past. GCW has had a couple of crossovers with its wrestlers competing on AEW TV. Nick Gage had an infamous death match with Chris Jericho last summer, while Mance Warner took on Moxley in an AEW World Title Eliminator match on AEW Rampage earlier this year.

It’s been a big day for GCW, as the promotion announced earlier today that it has partnered with FITE TV’s premium tier, FITE+. Not only will FITE+ be the new streaming platform of all GCW live events moving forward, but it will also be home to the promotion’s extensive tape library.