The two sides of AEW's Rey Fenix contract situation

All Elite Wrestling has done a great job of branding itself as the “alternative” to WWE. This goes beyond just the presentation that occurs in front of the camera, but business dealings behind the scenes as well. That is why fans are criticizing an apparent decision to add injury time to Rey Fenix’s contract as he and Penta look to leave the company. It’s an interesting development in which the best move would be for Tony Khan to let the two men go. 

This is a winding story that started a few months ago. Reports started that Penta and Fenix were set to head to WWE when their AEW contracts expired, causing many to scream “contract tampering.” There were various reports around when those expirations would happen, as no one was completely sure on that date. On Friday, September 27 Wrestling Observer reported that AEW is planning to add injury time to Fenix’s offer that could run to nearly a year. This came after both were offered new deals, but were not planning to sign. 

Yes, Pentagon and Fenix are two talented performers who have found success in AEW. They secured both the AEW Tag and Trios Championships, plus a run with the ROH tag titles along the way. They haven’t performed together in AEW since July, with their last match being July 26 in CMLL. 

There are two sides to this conversation. One on hand, AEW has the right to lock Fenix into a longer deal because the injury time he was away. This is a practice that WWE has used in the past, often to keep individuals under contract while keeping them off television. AEW could do the same here, but if they are going to keep Fenix longer the best bet would be to leverage them to help put other names over on the way out. Teams like The Outrunners or Private Party could use victories over an established duo like the Lucha Brothers. 

The other option would be to not do this and let Fenix leave. Again, AEW presents itself as the alternative to WWE. There was a time when WWE would be quick to use any opportunity to stifle the opportunities of its performers, even if that hurt the company’s brand along the way. If AEW is truly the place where performers can expect different treatment, it would make sense for the treatment to be different in this situation. But again, AEW does have the contractual standing to keep him under contract via injury time. 

The controversy surrounding the Lucha Brothers continues to play out without anyone truly knowing how things are going to play out. As more and more speculate, it will be interesting to see if this latest development rings true or is the latest in “he said, she said.” Fans may have thoughts about what Tony Khan should do in this matter with Rey Fenix, but at the end of the day he is going to do what is best for business.