Shawn Spears Departs AEW

There have been a few departures from AEW over the last few months, both from the talent pool and behind the scenes roles. The latest addition to that list is Shawn Spears, who is an AEW original, first appearing at the inaugural Double or Nothing PPV event in 2019.

First reported by Fightful Select, Spears’ contract was revealed to be expiring on January 1, 2024, and the two sides agreed to an amicable departure. This was confirmed by Spears in a social media post on X, where he thanked AEW in a statement.

"What a wonderful time it has been.   Thank you AEW for allowing me to be there from the ground level. It’s been a fantastic 5 years of growth and personal development.   This is a personal choice and one that is best for me and my family at this time.   Thank you to all, staff and talent alike for the memories.”

Spears might not have factored into AEW plans over the last year or so, but in the early days of AEW as “The Chairman”, he had notable feuds with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Joey Janela, and Dustin Rhodes, before joining The Pinnacle faction and later being a sidekick to MJF in an entertaining act.