AEW wrestlers might want to watch their mouths because dropping a swear word on television can apparently hit them right in the wallet. Dave Meltzer says AEW talent have legitimately been fined for swearing, and the punishment can run around $500 a pop.
The subject came up during the September 17 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio while Bryan Alvarez and Meltzer were breaking down a backstage segment involving Will Ospreay, Andrade and Francesco Akira. Akira finished things off by saying they should “kick the sh*t out of the Death Riders,” and that immediately opened the door to a detail about what happens when AEW talent gets a little too loose with the language. Meltzer explained that there was a joke attached to the profanity because somebody could actually end up paying for it.
“Yeah, well, the comedy is that Will go, ‘I have to pay that fine.’”
Alvarez immediately questioned whether AEW actually hands out fines for swearing, especially when profanity is hardly rare on Dynamite and Collision. He said he had never heard about anybody actually getting charged for it.
“Well, that’s what they said, but I didn’t even bother explaining it because, like, they swear on every last single show. I’ve never heard of anyone getting fined.”
Meltzer quickly shut that down and said he absolutely has heard of it happening, saying, “Oh, I have. Legit, too.” That got Alvarez’s attention, and Meltzer then dropped the number that makes the whole thing even funnier.
“Oh, guys have been fined. Legit. Yeah. I think it’s a five hundred dollars fine.”
At that point, Alvarez couldn’t resist taking a shot at how often AEW talent still swears on television despite there apparently being money on the line, saying “That’s why we hear it fifteen times on every show.” Meltzer didn’t argue.
That’s what makes this whole thing pretty wild. AEW has never exactly presented itself as a company where everybody needs to keep things PG, and fans regularly hear language on its shows that would probably get bleeped somewhere else. Apparently, though, there can still be a price attached when somebody takes it too far.
Meltzer did phrase the $500 amount as what he believes the fine to be, but he was much firmer about AEW talent actually being fined for swearing. So the next time somebody lets one fly on Dynamite, there could be a little backstage bill waiting for them once the cameras stop rolling.
Do you think AEW fining wrestlers $500 for swearing makes any sense when profanity is already such a regular part of the product? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
