AEW & Tony Khan have fired back at a lawsuit from former employee Ryan Nemeth and are intending to force the lawsuit to arbitration. Khan filed a petition on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking to compel arbitration.
In February, Nemeth initiated legal proceedings against AEW, Tony Khan, and CM Punk, filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses Punk of issuing physical threats, Khan of enabling the behavior, and AEW of effectively blacklisting Nemeth from wrestling. Nemeth’s claims include assault, breach of contract, violation of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and deliberate interference with his career prospects.
Nemeth claims that in 2023, Punk assaulted him and faced no reprimand from the promotion. He adds that Punk was responsible for Nemeth losing work in AEW. After Punk was fired from AEW in September 2023, Tony Khan blamed Nemeth, the suit adds, further causing problems for the wrestler in professional wrestling.
With his own AEW career now a thing of the past, Nemeth has since joined TNA Wrestling where fans can see him work alongside his brother Nic (fka WWE’s Dolph Ziggler.) At TNA Sacrifice, the pair turned heel, kicking off an exciting new chapter for the brothers. It remains to be seen how the lawsuit against AEW and Khan fares, but Ryan Nemeth is re-establishing himself in wrestler despite the alleged best efforts of AEW management.
