Pro Wrestling

AEW releases Jimmy Havoc, Bea Priestley, and Sadie Gibbs

These appear to be the first releases AEW has made during the pandemic era.

August 14, 2020

AEW has released Jimmy Havoc, Bea Priestley, and Sadie Gibbs.

The news was first reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer and has since been confirmed by at least one of the three, Sadie Gibbs, who confirmed her release Thursday evening on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/TheSadiegibbs/status/1294059779313344512

Gibbs, Havoc, and Priestley have all had their profiles removed from the official AEW roster page, but no official announcement regarding their removal or release has been provided by AEW at this time.

Havoc’s release from the company should come as a surprise to no one. The British wrestler was accused of abusive behavior towards women earlier this year in June, following the social media campaign #SpeakingOut, which began after it was revealed that independent wrestler David Star had a long history of emotionally and sexually abusive relationships.

AEW responded to the accusations leveled against Havoc by releasing the following statement:

We wish Jimmy Havoc all the best as he receives treatment and counseling in an effort to overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life. We are evaluating his status with our company and will address it when he has successfully completed his rehabilitation.

Priestley signed with AEW in February 2019 after turning down an offer from WWE. She debuted at AEW’s Fight for the Fallen pay-per-view last year, but hasn’t been seen on Dynamite since the March 11 episode where she teamed with Nyla Rose to defeat Kris Statlander and current AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida. Due to the ongoing pandemic Priestley has been unable to visit the US and thus is unable to work for AEW.

Like Priestley and Havoc, Gibbs is based in the UK and faces the same travel restrictions. We haven’t seen her wrestle since an episode of Dark in 2019 and can only assume that she was released for the same reasons as Priestley.

AIPT wishes Priestley and Gibbs the best of luck with the next step on their wrestling journey.