AEW Kicked Brian Kendrick Out Before Debut Over Controversial Remarks

Brian Kendrick is finally opening up about what really happened the night he was pulled from his planned AEW debut against Jon Moxley in February 2022—just hours before bell time and he was even made to leave the building in the end.

Speaking on the TMPT podcast, Kendrick confirmed he was fully booked, contracted, and dressed to compete when AEW suddenly pulled him from the show after past offensive comments resurfaced. The company was unhappy with his remarks and he was forced to leave the building.

“I showed up to debut, I was in my gear, ready to wrestle Jon Moxley in the opening match,” Kendrick said. “About an hour and a half beforehand, I got a call from their lawyer. The lawyer said an old video resurfaced — a clip of me talking about conspiracy theories… They didn’t like what I talked about. It was seen as an embarrassment to the company, so they made me leave the building.”

Kendrick had two AEW contracts—one for coaching, one for wrestling—but said he wasn’t paid during the three months following the incident. He also claims the company kept him in limbo without clear communication.

“I wasn’t getting paid during that time. I was reaching out to different lawyers, and finally I got a hold of someone who had no idea what was going on — so I only got paid for one of my contracts.”

Because AEW allegedly warned him not to make any public statements during the process, Kendrick says he kept quiet while dealing with stress and uncertainty.

“I might have been in breach of contract if I made a statement that wasn’t approved by AEW at the time, so I just sat there for three months while my stomach rotted.”

Kendrick believes the backlash was over words—not actions—and believes the situation would have been completely different had the right people liked him in the end.

“It’s really silly. It was just words said a long time ago. No violent actions, no crimes… There are people who’ve done worse things, but people like those people. I might not be the most likable person, and that’s the difference. The right people don’t like me — and if they did, I’d be okay. So that’s that.”

The resurfaced footage came from a 2013 Highspots interview where Kendrick discussed a series of extreme, widely debunked conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial and false claims about the Sandy Hook school shooting.

“The Holocaust is overblown and the Red Cross stated it was only 250,000 Jews who were killed and the number was blown up to justify the creation of Israel. The gas chambers were for delousing and some evidence suggests that the Allies mocked up death camps to expand the lie. The Russians killed ten million Catholics during the same period and they didn’t receive a country for their loss.”

Kendrick has since worked sparingly as a producer for WWE but has not returned to a major wrestling role on-screen since the AEW controversy. At this point in time, it’s highly unlikely anyone will see him back in a big promotion ever again.

Do you think AEW made the right call in removing Brian Kendrick—or should he have been allowed to publicly address the controversy first? Sound off in the comments.

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