Stokely Hathaway Turned Down A Lot Of Money To Jump From WWE To AEW

How much? WWE and AEW have distanced themselves from the field and become the two biggest and most powerful wrestling promotions in America. The companies both have a strong field of talent but they are also always needing to bring in someone new or fresh. That can lead to some interesting signings, and now we know what one star gave up to be able to move.

Former NXT manager Stokely Hathaway, also known as Malcolm Bivens in NXT, made his AEW debut last Sunday at Double Or Nothing. This came thirty days after he was released from his NXT contract, making him a free agent. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hathaway was offered a $250,000 contract to move up to the WWE main roster, feeling that he could get a better offer elsewhere. Hathaway has since begun working with Jade Cargill in AEW.

Opinion: That is a heck of a lot of money to turn down, but Hathaway has already seemed to be having more fun in AEW than he did in NXT. I can’t imagine how well it would have gone for him on the main roster, as most managers are either ex-wrestlers or Paul Heyman, which doesn’t leave much room for Hathaway to make an impact. If this is what works for him then that’s all that matters, and now hopefully he can showcase his talents in AEW.

What do you think of Hathaway’s decision? How will he do in AEW? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

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