Brett Lauderdale Says TNA Pulling Talent ‘Does More Harm Than Good’

GCW owner Brett Lauderdale is now speaking out—and he’s not holding back when it comes to the fallout from the canceled indie matches involving TNA and AEW.

GCW owner Brett Lauderdale addressed the situation while speaking on the Two Man Power Trip podcast, offering a clear take on how the controversy looks from the outside—and it doesn’t reflect well on TNA Wrestling. Lauderdale first pointed to All Elite Wrestling’s willingness to let talent work independent shows, praising that approach given the risks involved.

“I think overall, if you look at the caliber of people that AEW allows to do indies and outside work, you know, it’s commendable that they let these people go out there, considering what’s on the line.”

He then contrasted that with TNA’s recent decision to pull talent from events involving AEW names, admitting even he isn’t fully sure what’s behind the move—but questioning how it’s being perceived.

“TNA is another company who really—up until this point—you very rarely hear about them pulling somebody. This seems to be, you know… I don’t know. Who knows what the real story is?”

Lauderdale also addressed the growing speculation around outside influence, including talk that the decision may not have been entirely TNA’s call. Regardless of the reasoning, he made it clear the situation isn’t landing well—especially when it comes to timing and public perception.

“There’s a lot of speculation—‘Oh, well, it’s not really their decision, it’s WWE’s decision,’ or it’s this or that. I mean, who really knows? Outside of TNA and Carlos themselves. But obviously, the timing’s not great, and the optics are not great. It is a self-inflicted wound with bad timing.”

He went even further, arguing that the decision doesn’t appear to benefit anyone—and could actually hurt both fan perception and locker room morale.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re really benefiting anything by pulling these people—it’s only doing harm in the eyes of the fans. And ultimately, at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most—what the fans think. And also what the locker room thinks too. If guys feel like they’re getting pulled from work and money for no good reason, that does not do a lot for morale in the locker room.”

Lauderdale added that from his experience, AEW has been flexible when it comes to working with GCW, even if not every opportunity comes together. He closed by reinforcing that GCW’s relationship with AEW remains strong despite occasional challenges over the years.

“Yeah, I mean—we’ve had people reach out to work with us that never came to fruition, but not because AEW said no—just because scheduling didn’t work out. So yeah, I think we seem to be in a good place right now where, as I said yesterday, I made a post on social media about it—there’s been some bumps in the road over the years, but that’s bound to happen when you have a relationship going on six, seven, eight years. But I’m happy, and I’m thankful that AEW has been so good to us over the years.”

This adds more fuel to an already tense situation involving canceled matches for names like MJF and Ricochet, and raises even more questions about how different promotions are handling talent freedom and cross-company cooperation.

With multiple voices now speaking out, the issue has clearly grown beyond just a few canceled bookings—and into a larger debate about control, communication, and how these relationships are managed behind the scenes.

So what do you think—did TNA make the right call pulling talent, or is this hurting the business more than helping it? Drop your thoughts below.