wrestling / News

UPDATED: More on WES Cancelling Debut Show, Talent Reportedly Not Paid in Full

July 6, 2022 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Wrestling Entertainment Series UK WES Image Credit: Wrestling Entertainment Series

UPDATE: A new report has additional details on WES cancelling their debut show, disputing the reason the company gave for the cancellation. According to Fightful Select, several sources made it clear that the show’s cancellation was due to poor ticket sales and mismanagement as opposed to WES’ claim that it was due to talent not showing up. The site notes that there were between 300 and 400 tickets sold.

According to the report, other people have confirmed Matthew Rehwoldt’s statement that that the company asked him to give up another event and then was essentially ghosted, with no agreement being sent out.

In the statement the company sent out, it stated that it paid the talent on the show. Fightful notes it was “half true” and that they only did because they had to. Several talent were “messed about” after the first show was postponed and as a result, their talent agency required payment up front before allowing them to be booked. Moose, Big Damo, Steph De Lander and Eric Young were among those who got paid and several were given flight credits to stay home, but that’s about it.

The report also notes that Lina Fanene was paid about half of what she had agreed to, only because her agreement had it stipulated that she would be paid half up front. She made it clear to the company as early as June 23rd that she wouldn’t appear on the show due to how the promotion had been unprofessional and had even offered to pay for a fan’s travel costs after the first cancellation.

Several UK talent said that they had not actually been paid for the show and had not received important hotel or visa information to make the trip possible. Several talent that were on the show didn’t find out that the event was canceled until the announcement was made public on social media.

Several talent associated with both cancellations made it clear that they were never going to work for the company again.

ORIGINAL: Wrestling Entertainment Series’ heavily-promoted debut show has been canceled, with the company citing talent “not showing up” as the reason. WES posted to Twitter on Wednesday to announce that the show, which was set to take place on Saturday, has been canceled and that they believe they “still will be able to show [an event] in the near future.”

The full statement notes that they were forced to cancel due to “so many talent not showing up” and noted that all scheduled talent was paid in full. It specifically notes that Lina Fanene, aka the former Nia Jax, was “paid her deposit as well while she changed her mind and did not want to show up and wrestle anymore.”

WES was initially set to debut on June 4th but was postponed. Fanene called out WES on Sunday for advertising her for a meet & greet, noting that “I do not know why I am still on this poster, but I will REPEAT myself again…I will NOT be at the show. Please do not buy a ticket thinking you will see me perform or get a chance to meet me. I hate this misleads people!”

A host of wrestling stars who were scheduled at one point for the show including Adam Scherr, Matthew Rehwoldt, Chelsea Green, and Lince Dorado have taken to Twitter to call the company out for the statement, as you can see below. WES’ full statement reads:

“Dear fans and followers, unfortunately we will have to cancel the event scheduled for this Saturday at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. We are deeply disappointed in the news that we have to share but with so many talent not showing up we will have no choice then to cancel the event.

“Our team worked so hard on this event day in and day out for the fans to come with a different type of wrestling event and believe that we still will be able to show that in the near future.

“We do want to say that all our talent that was scheduled have been paid in full and that Lina Fanene was paid her deposit as well while she changed her mind and did not want to show up and wrestle anymore. For now we will have to apologize for this, but we promise that it will not end here. See you soon!”