Abadon was “crushed” when AEW decided not to renew their contract, but they had no interest in turning that heartbreak into a public war with the company. More than a year after leaving AEW, Abadon says deliberately refusing to become bitter may have helped everything that came next, including a return to ROH and a much busier run on the independent scene.
While speaking to Micah Misfit, Abadon looked back on the end of their five-year AEW run and didn’t pretend the decision was easy to accept. Losing something they had worked so hard for felt like a form of grieving, especially after continuing to push through whatever limitations came their way.
“Yeah. I mean, I feel like anybody in their right mind would feel a type of way, right? Whether you’re angry, bitter, sad, or however, there’s a range of emotions. It’s a form of grieving, right? Because, you know, you worked really hard for something and then, you know, you still continue to work through everything regardless of whatever limitations may have you, whether it’s on you or not, just for it to, like, it to end like that.”
Abadon was every bit as heartbroken as they said they were when the news first came out. That still didn’t erase what AEW had given them during their time there.
“I mean, like, it was, I definitely was heartbroken for sure. But I still appreciate, like, all the time I spent there, the things I learned and the opportunities I was given. Whether, like I said, they were small or larger, I appreciate every moment.”
For Abadon, the disappointment hit particularly hard because wrestling isn’t something they can imagine walking away from. If there’s another life after this one, apparently Abadon plans on being a wrestler there too.
“I was very sad because I love wrestling. Like people go, ‘What would you be like if you weren’t a wrestler?’ I’d be a fucking wrestler in this life and in the next life and any life that you try to parallel it to, I will find a way to make myself get there.”
That passion didn’t make the AEW decision hurt any less, but it did make sitting around feeling sorry for themselves a pretty unattractive option.
“When you’re passionate and you love something, like, you always make it happen. So, I was very crushed, but I’m thankful.”
Abadon could have handled the situation very differently. They admitted there was nothing stopping them from publicly going after AEW once the contract was allowed to expire, but they couldn’t see what they would actually gain from doing it.
“Yeah. I mean, like, I definitely could have, you know, been really bitter and angry and been really nasty about it, but like, that, what good does that do? Like, that doesn’t serve me. That doesn’t serve that. Like, there’s no purpose. There’s no point. It’s a wasted energy.”
Looking back, Abadon thinks keeping those emotions from turning into bitterness may have mattered more than they realized at the time. They’ve been getting plenty of independent bookings since leaving AEW, and burning that bridge could have made the road considerably harder.
“And who knows, that could have, like, if I had reacted a different way, maybe that would have affected what I’m doing now on the indies, like getting all these bookings and busting my ass to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to wrestle a lot now,’ you know?”
There was another door Abadon didn’t want to accidentally slam shut either. AEW eventually brought them back for Global Wars in January 2026, where Abadon appeared on ROH programming and got to bring the Metroplex Wrestling Women’s Championship along for the ride.
“And they’ve brought me back. They brought me back in January of this year for Global Wars, and that was really cool. I got to be on ROH and showcase the Metroplex Wrestling Championship, Women’s Championship. So, that was really cool. Like, that, it could have really affected, and it could have affected me going back in January of this year, and I wouldn’t have wanted that, you know.”
AEW informed Abadon in 2025 that their contract would not be renewed after five years with the company. They publicly admitted at the time that their “heart is currently broken,” but made it equally clear that they weren’t done wrestling. Once the deal officially expired that June, Abadon immediately announced they were a free agent and started filling up their calendar.
More than a year later, Abadon can admit just how badly the AEW exit hurt without wishing they had burned the place down on the way out. They chose to keep wrestling instead, and considering AEW eventually invited them back while the independent bookings kept coming, that wasted anger probably wouldn’t have done much for them anyway.
Do you think Abadon made the right call by refusing to publicly go after AEW after their contract wasn’t renewed? Let us know 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.
