On Tuesday afternoon, AEW officially announced the signing of former WWE star Tye Dillinger, real name Shawn Spears.
The promotion announced the news in a tweet, which also revealed that he’ll be competing in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale.
He joins Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr, Sunny Daze, MJF, Joey Janela, Chuck Taylor, Trent Baretta, Dustin Thomas in the match.
Spears also gave an interview with Sports Illustrated where he talked about the decision to sign with AEW, which is where he noted that he believes in what the promotion is doing with their product.
“I believe in providing an alternative for fans, and I really believe that the audience has wanted an alternative for quite some time. This is now the platform to give people exactly what they want, and I am really looking forward to proving myself in AEW.”
It was announced back in late February by the WWE that they had granted his release from the company. This came after he put out a lengthy statement announcing that he had asked to be released from his contract.
Double or Nothing, which is the inaugural show promoted by AEW, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2019.
Credit: Andrew Ravens