Former AEW Announcer Kevin Kelly Insults Tony Khan, Offers Support To Corey Graves

There is no love lost between play-by-play man Kevin Kelly and All Elite Wrestling.

The former AEW Collision announcer took to social media and took a shot at his ex-boss Tony Khan, while also offering words of support for WWE announcer Corey Graves. Graves is in the middle of a dispute with WWE over his lack of usage, and was reportedly sent home from the NXT tapings on Tuesday.

Kelly, a former WWE announcer as well, first commented on Graves' dispute with WWE and offered to work alongside him to enhance his value.

Put me and @WWEGraves together at the desk. Corey would become the biggest commentary star in wrestling because I would actively try to get him over. Let his star shine.
— Kevin Kelly (@realkevinkelly) January 14, 2025

MORE: Corey Graves Reportedly Pulled From Jan. 14 Edition Of WWE NXT

Kelly was primarily a backstage correspondent and interviewer with WWE from 1996 through 2003, but occasionally filled in on play-by-play on the major shows. He received acclaim for his work with Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling after leaving WWE, and was hired by AEW to be the voice of AEW Collision upon its launch in the summer of 2023.

His run with AEW did not last long though. Kelly was fired by the company in March of 2024 after taking to social media to criticize fellow announcer Ian Riccaboni and accusing him of libel and defamation. He alongside the Tate Twins would then sue AEW and Tony Khan to void arbitration clauses in their contracts, and also filed a separate suit seeking monetary damages.

A fan responded to Kelly's initial post about Graves, claiming AEW had done Kelly wrong. Kelly did not mince words in his response, referring to Khan as a "stuttering son of a billionaire."

All I wanted to do was call wrestling. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have to listen to a stuttering son of a billionaire feeding me lines and then correcting himself and telling me I was doing great. They waited until I had a mental breakdown to fire me. https://t.co/zCwoXXNzM4
— Kevin Kelly (@realkevinkelly) January 14, 2025

Kelly would then go on to claim AEW was disorganized, alleging there were no production meetings during his first week on the job.

Yeah it took one day. No production meeting. Formats at 6p for 7p start.
— Kevin Kelly (@realkevinkelly) January 15, 2025

AEW did procure a legal win, when a judge moved Kelly and the Tate Twins' lawsuit to a Florida federal court. The company had argued that clauses in talent contracts that state any litigation must be heard in the company's headquartered state of Florida to be enforced, whereas the suit had been filed in Pennsylvania initially.

AEW has also filed a motion to compel arbitration, which could force Kelly and the Tates to resolve their disputes outside of any public court if approved.

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