Scott D’Amore Accused of Sabotaging Jake Doyle in TNA Before AEW Jump

Jake Doyle’s AEW signing may be getting praised now — but according to Michael Elgin, some people patting themselves on the back weren’t always so supportive.

On January 10, 2026, former TNA star Michael Elgin fired off a lengthy tweet accusing former TNA executive Scott D’Amore of “gaslighting” over Jake’s rise — and revealing that D’Amore allegedly once downplayed Jake’s potential and dismissed multiple creative pitches to push him as a singles star.

The post was triggered by a congratulatory tweet from D’Amore, who praised Jake for signing with AEW under the new ring name Jake Doyle, writing:

“Stoked to see @JakeSomething_ join @AEW and @TheDonCallis Family. Finally a last name! 🤣 Jake along with @Walking_Weapon Josh Alexander, @SpeedballBailey @The_Ace_Austin & @Jet2Flyy Kevin Knight are great additions this past year & 5 of my all-time favorites to work with.”

Elgin responded with a different version of history: “I think this is called gaslighting.” He went on to claim that he, Josh Alexander, and Ethan Page had repeatedly pushed for Jake to be booked under the name ‘Jake Something’ as a singles competitor, but those efforts were shut down. According to Elgin, Jake was still being used as Cousin Deaner at the time, and D’Amore showed no interest in elevating him: “I even asked to do an angle to turn him into Something and have a pay-per-view match.”

Michael Elgin then dropped the alleged quote from Scott D’Amore that’s now drawing attention from fans on social media. Elgin then clarified that he wasn’t trying to throw shade at Burke himself.

“Scott’s exact words were, ‘He’s Cousin Deaner. He trained at ROH, had tryouts with WWE, and he wasn’t signed. I’m doing him a favor by signing him here. If he doesn’t want to be a Deaner, then I’ll replace him. I’ll call Markus Burke—he’s a guy who will take whatever I give him.’ Just to be clear — Burke was great. No disparagement to him at all. I love the guy.”

The tweet paints a very different picture from D’Amore’s public praise — and comes just days after Jake Doyle made his AEW debut by attacking JetSpeed on behalf of The Don Callis Family. It also adds to the behind-the-scenes drama of Jake’s exit from TNA, where he reportedly finished up on January 1 despite previous plans for his deal to extend through 2026.

Jake’s AEW chapter is just getting started, but Michael Elgin’s tweet raises major questions about how the former TNA star was actually viewed and handled in his previous home.

Do you believe Michael Elgin’s version of events? Should TNA have done more with Jake Doyle when they had the chance? Sound off in the comments.