Those behind-the-scenes at AEW are said to have been taken by surprise by a major executive’s recent release!
It was reported earlier this week that AEW’s long-time Vice President of Post Production Kevin Sullivan (a separate person entirely from the wrestler of the same name) had suddenly been released from the company. He joined AEW in 2019 after jumping ship from IMPACT Wrestling.
More details on Sullivan’s release and the backstage reaction to the move have since come to light in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reports that Sullivan was simply told by Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer Michael Mansbury that the company was moving in a different direction and was given no further explanation beyond the call coming from Mansbury himself.
The move is also reported to be a surprise to people working backstage, particularly to those working in the production division who didn’t even know Mansbury had authority over Sullivan. The overall feeling is said to be one of shock as many feel “blindsided” by Sullivan’s release.
“Kevin Sullivan (obviously not the wrestler but the longtime production whiz), the Vice President of Post Production, who has been here since the early days of the promotion was let go on 12/4 in a move made by Mike Mansbury, the Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer.
The move was huge behind the scenes, particularly on the production side since Sullivan had built the entire post production team based in Nashville. This blindsided many people. The story going around was Mansbury told Sullivan that morning that they were moving in another direction in 2024. Sullivan had no idea it was coming and was given no real explanation as to why, just that it was a Mansbury decision.”
“People in the division didn’t even know that Mansbury was Sullivan’s boss, noting that among those who worked in production that was never made clear. The story in production is that nobody else was expected to be cut, but it was a team created by Sullivan so they are his guys.”
Tony Khan Has Received Criticism Over Kevin Sullivan’s AEW Release
The move has caused some to be critical of AEW President Tony Khan who made no effort to stop Sullivan’s release despite his tenure and well-regarded work at the company.