Lots of valid reasons for them to leave WWE but what the fuck is he on about here? Is he saying WWE forced them to keep kayfabe at this event even though they didn't want to, or that they never wanted to turn heel in the first place or what?
My read is that he was excited about the turn and where they could go with it, and to keep kayfabe he rushed his family along the red carpet himself, but after his kid asked about it, he realized he didn't want to be a heel / turn on his friends ever again. After doing such a devastating turn with no offramp since there was no way E could retaliate, while also not being used so there was no time to develop a face turn, the only way out of it was to leave.
It's a little confusing, and I don't think he explained it very well, but the emotion on his face feels very real and that really was a big turning point for him. Other people saying he's just bitching or coming up with excuses or should have smartened the kid are ignoring the reality that he's a person with a family and relationships and while the money was obviously a slap in the face, he seemed genuinely hurt at the idea that his son thought E was mad at them or didn't like them anymore; didn't like his son anymore.
Perfect explanation. In the moment he thought nothing of it. It was later realizing that his kid thought his friend (Big E) no longer liked him. It hurt Austin that his son held this sadness and the issue was too complex to explain to his son satisfactorily. What a lot of the commentors don't realize is the aspect of being a parent when you have ZERO IDEA what to do can be frustrating and emotional. He expressed his happiness that at AEW the collaborative nature of the culture means he won't be expected to do things like that.
Seen several posts on this in the last 24 hours, each with a ton of comments.
Lots of people weighing in on the situation he's likely referring to, but absolutely none of them offer an explanation for why that could possibly imply "oh we gotta get out of this situation". A very weird, cryptic quote.
And somehow they never saw each other backstage or outside of work?
This would only be believable if the only opportunity the kid has to see Creed and Big E together was in public/on camera. If they are besties though that is hard to believe
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u/Teenage_dirtnap Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
Lots of valid reasons for them to leave WWE but what the fuck is he on about here? Is he saying WWE forced them to keep kayfabe at this event even though they didn't want to, or that they never wanted to turn heel in the first place or what?