Earlier this week, it was reported that long-time AEW backstage executive Kevin Sullivan had been released from the company. Sullivan, a separate individual from the well-known WCW veteran of the same name, had been AEW’s Vice President Of Post-Production since the early days of the promotion and is said to have been let go by Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer Michael Mansbury, who joined AEW from WWE last year.
More details have since come to light on the sudden release in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reports that Sullivan was let go by Mansbury after being told that the company was moving in a different direction in 2024 and was given no further explanation other than the move, which he did not see coming, being a call made by Mansbury.
Sullivan’s release is reported to have “blindsided” many behind the scenes, particularly those involved in the production side of the company who didn’t even know that Mansbury was Sullivan’s boss. Meltzer also noted that some have been critical that Tony Khan didn’t step in to stop or reverse the decision as Sullivan has been highly praised for his work over the past few years across the board and is seen as the figure responsible for building the company’s entire post-production team from scratch.
Sullivan isn’t the only major backstage figure departing AEW this month. Long-time producer and coach QT Marshall announced last week that he had resigned from the company and will have fulfilled all his obligations by the end of the year.
Haus of Wrestling later learned that Marshall’s felt the company was moving in a more NJPW-esque direction with the focus being on matches more than storytelling. This follows Marshall’s influence waining behind the scenes ever since his close friend and former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes departed the company.