Nine months ago, news broke that Kevin Kelly had joined forces with The Boys to bring a lawsuit against AEW as well as Tony Khan and Ian Riccaboni following their departures from the company. Based on the filing, the trio felt they were let go unfairly, had their reputations damaged, and were misclassified as independent contractors.
Yet, whether the trio has a good chance of winning or even securing a settlement remains unclear, with many on social media questioning whether their decision to sue was even warranted. And now, in what will likely be considered a massive blow to Kelly and The Boys, a judge has granted AEW’s motion to take the case to arbitration, with it noted that this controversial clause was included in their contracts and, therefore, the issue will be handled outside the public court system.
58-year-old Kelly, real name Kevin Foote, made his name in the wrestling business with WWE after signing with the company in 1996. To start with, he worked as a backstage interviewer before becoming a commentator, although he was released in 2003 due to budget cuts. Since then, he has commented on several other promotions, including in New Japan, which opened the door for him to join AEW. Still, he was fired after airing his frustrations with both the company and Riccaboni on social media.
