Kevin Kelly and wrestlers The Tate Twins (Brandon & Brendan Tate) are launching a lawsuit against AEW, AEW President Tony Khan, and announcer Ian Riccaboni.
@WrestlingNewsAV (The Wrestling News) first reported the news. The suit was filed on August 30 in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas by attorneys Stephen P. New and Benjamin Baer.
The Tate Twins worked for AEW/ROH as The Boys alongside Dalton Castle. Following their release, they issued a statement, noting they were told that their release was due to budget cuts and not due to a ravel miscommunication that led to them missing a show. They included screenshots of messages they had with AEW management over their travel.
Kelly started his run with AEW last June as the lead play-by-play announcer for Collision alongside Nigel McGuinness before Tony Schiavone later joined the booth. He made headlines when he tweeted that he had been “libeled” by Ian, believed to perhaps be Riccaboni, and was pushed aside when asked by someone on Twitter regarding not being utilized more.
I keep asking why but get pushed aside. It’s ok because there is no one better than me. Ask the ones that know and they’ll tell you.
— Kevin Kelly (@realkevinkelly) March 2, 2024
But the idea of what I bring to the table is lost there because Ian libeled me. So I sit on the bench, valued by my peers, waiting to get my number called.
— Kevin Kelly (@realkevinkelly) March 2, 2024
Following the tweets, Wade Keller of PWTorch reported Kelly had been released and cited his social media posts costing him his job because he accused Riccaboni of sabotaging his career and of libel.
In June, Kelly started to speak out about his departure, noting he had issues with Riccaboni. Last month, while appearing on Refin’ It Up, Kelly claimed the promotion offered him a severance package. However, they later took it back because he did not sign a form.
The suit is “seeking to void the arbitration clause of their talent contracts, as well as requesting the court certify a class-action suit against AEW over claims the company is misclassifying its wrestling talent as independent contractors, rather than employees.”
In a story first heard on The Wrestling News' Wednesday Edition, Kevin Kelly & The Tate Twins are suing AEW, ROH, Tony Khan, and Ian Riccaboni. https://t.co/hrxfpnlX7O
— The Great Brian Last (@GreatBrianLast) September 4, 2024
BREAKING: Three former talents terminated by the company have brought a lawsuit against All Elite Wrestling, among others.
The suit, brought by announcer Kevin Kelly and wrestlers Brandon & Brendan Tate, was filed on August 30 in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Court of…— The Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsAV) September 4, 2024
As first reported by @WrestlingNewsAV (The Wrestling News) – Kevin Kelly & The Tate Twins are allegedly suing All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan, and Ian Riccaboni.
The suit is “seeking to void the arbitration clause of their talent contracts, as well as requesting the court certify…
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) September 4, 2024
