Bill Behrens has worn many hats in the wrestling business for at least two decades, from television syndicator to promoter to booking agent to management to legal representation. He currently serves as those last three for AJ Styles (real name Allen Jones). In light of TNA’s statement claiming that Styles (as well as Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) backed out of signed agreements to join the promotion, Behrens issued the following statement to PWInsider.com:
No contract was ever finalized nor signed by the parties.
That I would need to be involved in the contract process was known by TNA prior to my involvement and understood by them.
TNA and its 1st lawyer did not present in a timely fashion a contract that accurately reflected previous discussions at all. That created great concern tied to past experiences. In that time and prior there was other interest and there were other firm offers on the table and other discussions.
TNA was aware of other interest and various conflicts. TNA was aware a final contract was required. It was creating that contract and controlled that timetable. Too much time passed early on. Other things came into play. No contract was ever finalized with TNA.
To suggest I make any decision for my clients is to misunderstand my role and diminish the role each talent has in making their own decisions, and insults the talent in the process.
The statement came following PWInsider’s lengthy report on the matter from last night, where Mike Johnson outlined the basics of the situation:
TNA badly wanted Styles back, with the feeling that his departure badly damaged the the company since he was their big home-grown star a la Sting in WCW. They started talking in November, and Styles brought up the possibility of Gallows and Anderson also coming in. His Bullet Club stablemates were unhappy over their split of the Bullet Club merchandise profits with New Japan Pro Wrestling and looking for a change of scenery. The trio met with Dixie Carter, John Gaburick, and other TNA staff at Carter’s house on December 14th and the TNA side felt the meeting went great, with a plan in place for a surprise Styles return in a pretape on the Pop TV debut show. From there, when the long form contracts were to be finalized, TNA took their time (and were slowed down by the holidays), a better offer came in (presumably from WWE), and the wrestlers decided not to make the deal.
(So yes, it looks like this may have had little to do with WWE raiding NJPW. It just looked that way with Shinsuke Nakamura also leaving and Mauro Ranallo being tapped as the new voice of SmackDown.)
Relevant. pic.twitter.com/ojb9Obc3aK
— The Tag Rope (@tagropemag) January 22, 2016
Exactly what was signed or agreed to is where Johnson’s version and the other stories going around start to conflict with each other. The TNA side is clearly swearing that Styles and company signed something, but if they did, it wasn’t their actual contract, as noted by Behrens in his statement. From there, accounts include:
- That they “didn’t sign sh*t” (Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer in a forum post that Eric quoted earlier).
- “No contract was ever signed or finalized by any of the parties” (The Fight Network citing Styles’ management, presumably Behrens).
- “No formal contract was ever signed” (Pro Wrestling Sheet citing a rep for the wrestlers; again, one would think that was Behrens).
The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. One person with knowledge of the situation posited to me that if they did sign anything, it was nothing that would be legally binding, which fits with TNA issuing the statement without taking or even threatening legal action. Johnson’s article does include the TNA claim that Styles was sent plane tickets to go to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but your mileage may vary if that actually proves anything.
