The True Story Behind PAC Quitting AEW

Chris Jericho New Japan NJPW
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The next few days will clarify everything: the replacement match in and of itself, and AEW’s ability to manoeuvre in the murky world of pro wrestling politics. AEW-contracted legend Chris Jericho is set to headline NJPW Dominion on June 9, 2019 in his quest for Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Championship. This shocked many, given the puro league’s decision to maintain its existing working relationship with Ring of Honor. Jericho’s contract, and indeed many others, affords him the freedom to work elsewhere—but this, no disrespect intended, isn’t quite allowing MJF to fulfil his dates with Major League Wrestling, because NJPW actually is major league. NJPW is AEW’s key competition in the war for American wrestling’s silver podium. Surely, AEW management sought something in return, especially given the unlikelihood of a title switch.

AEW strives to be the good guy, in this new wrestling war. If that Jericho deal isn’t reciprocal, and if that replacement isn’t on the level of PAC or his best-in-the-world New Japan contemporaries, it might start to look a bit like Surfer Sting at his most hapless.

The following should be taken as reasoned inference: on the Wrestling Observer Radio show broadcast in the small hours of Monday morning, Meltzer remarked, when speculating over the future relationship between PAC and AEW, that “I don’t wanna say there’s no negativity around it”.

This was pointed. Revealing, perhaps. Piecing together the narrative, it appears as if PAC, and not Dragon Gate, is behind the decision. Were Dragon Gate behind this, tying PAC’s hands, one would imagine a certain understanding on AEW’s part. It sucks, but it is what it is. “[There’s] no guarantee that they’ll ever use him again,” Meltzer continued, implying a fall-out more personal than the net result of a political miscommunication.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!