Shawn Spears left AEW back in December 2023 and he ended up returning to NXT in February last year. Spears has already become an integral part of WWE programming, and now he has explained why he parted ways with AEW.

While speaking on Gabby AF, Shawn Spears talked about his AEW departure. Spears explained that he left AEW because he felt it was time for a change. Spears noted that as wrestlers, they often look for new opportunities, and for him, AEW no longer felt like the right place.

“Got a break over there in AEW, and then I think it’s just a matter of—much like the business—it’s a personal evolution that we, as performers, kind of seek out. Sometimes, for me, it just felt like I wasn’t in the right place, so I needed to go.”

Spears added that he has always made smart choices in his career and planned ahead so that money wouldn’t be his main concern. Now that he has children, his priorities have changed a little, but he still values time more than money. Since he knows he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he wants to make the most of it.

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“I’ve been pretty smart in life—believe it or not. I know, I know. But I’ve set myself up so that money isn’t at the forefront. It’s a little different now because I have children, but money still isn’t the priority. I put time as the ultimate thing. You know, I’m much closer to the end of my career than I am at the beginning.”

Spears believes that if something doesn’t feel right, it’s important to make a change. He wanted to spend his remaining time in wrestling doing something that felt meaningful. Instead of staying where he wasn’t happy, he chose to go where he was truly wanted. In the end, taking that step turned out to be the right choice for him.

“I’m a big believer that if you feel in your gut that something needs to change, or you feel like you don’t belong somewhere, or you just have a feeling—do it. Yeah, go do it. Why not?

I felt like I needed to. I have X amount of time left, and I want to spend it the way I want to spend it. By that, I mean I just wanted to contribute—to go where I was not necessarily needed but wanted. I ended up taking that big step, and it paid off.”

Shawn Spears has clearly seen lots of success in NXT since he won the NXT North American Championship after defeating Tony D’Angelo on the March 4 episode of WWE NXT. Therefore, we will have to wait and see how Spears will continue to be booked as the champion in the coming weeks, as he has a lot of momentum right now.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

What do you think about Shawn Spears' decision to leave AEW? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

Subhojeet Mukherjee has covered pro wrestling for over 20 years, delivering trusted news and backstage updates to fans around the world.

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