Sam Adonis Turned Down AAA Contract Several Years Ago: It Kind Of Bit Me In The Butt Now That TKO/WWE Owns AAA

Candid comments from Adonis.

Guest appearing on Busted Open was 17-year veteran wrestler Sam Adonis. With Adonis’ work in Mexico being a prominent part of his popularity, a conversation was struck up about TKO/WWE now owning AAA.

Adonis has worked dates for AAA dating back to 2021 and most recently wrestled for them on November 1st. Adonis revealed that ‘about three years ago,’ AAA offered him a contract. He turned it down because he felt it was best to continue their relationship as it was.

When TKO/WWE acquired AAA, Adonis realized that he may not be part of the AAA package. He doesn’t think there are plans to bring him under contract.

“AAA offered me a contract — it would have been about three years ago now, and they offered me a deal that just — it was not a bad deal, but it just wasn’t the right deal, and we both basically came to terms. We were just gonna continue doing business the way we were. There was no reason to sign the contract. I was able to continue being flown in on a regular basis and still have my notoriety and position in Mexico. Once WWE and TKO bought AAA, I realized that, hmm, I think technically, I’m kind of removed from the package. There’s no paperwork, there’s nothing tying me to Lucha Libre AAA. As a wrestler, it’s a great thing to be able to do business with a high-profile company without a contract. A lot of times, that’s wrestlers’ dream and I think it speaks highly to the respect of a wrestler, that a company can trust you to be in these major positions, like main eventing Triplemanía and being able to do these shows, and to know that you’re the guy that they can count on and they don’t need to lock you in to make sure that you listen to the rules and don’t need to lock you in I think reflects very well on the wrestler but in this particular case, I was completely unsigned and I realized there was kind of nothing I could do about it. Things started speeding up, everything started happening. Next thing you know, there’s merchandise moving, and there’s just a lot of things going on and AAA is now a TKO product and an intellectual property, and I’m, for the most part, completely removed from it. So I’m still very busy in Mexico, I still wrestle in Mexico two or three dates a month. I still work with the AAA guys a lot. I’m one of the few guys that’s cleared to wrestle with them on these events. I guess you would call that a clearance or whatever where they’re allowed to work with me because I’m respected, and they know that these guys are safe in my hands. But, as far as I know, I don’t know if there’s any plans for me to be signed up any time soon or not.”

Adonis would go on to state that not signing the AAA deal has bitten him in the backside, seeing as how TKO/WWE now owns the company.

“You almost can’t really compare a wrestler’s journey or voyage because what works for one person might not work for another, and that’s what’s really strange right now. I think we’re in an era of wrestling where none of the norms really apply, and everything you were taught and the etiquette you’re taught and the business model you’re taught and the things that you think should work, would work or could work, are kind of just flipped upside down. Whether it’d be Tony Khan or TKO, both of whom do not necessarily play by the conventional rules of wrestling history etiquette. It’s really confusing. Because a lot of times, you might have thought you’ve done the right thing, and sometimes you didn’t, and I think me not signing a contract with AAA is… the perfect example, because I thought I was doing what was right as a performer, as a wrestler from what I’ve (been) taught, and it kind of bit me in the butt because it’s just not like that anymore. It just changes and who would have thought that you should take the first bad deal you get just in case WWE comes up and swipes up that indie. So now, some of these other promotions that are offering deals that are jokes for independent companies, are wrestlers supposed to just sign them now? Because you never know when the corporate hand’s gonna come and grab their next piece of the pie, and it’s really funny to think about it.”

Adonis is the brother of WWE commentator Corey Graves, who calls the English broadcasts for WWE x AAA events. Graves was on the call for AAA Guerra de Titanes alongside Konnan and John Bradshaw Layfield.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Busted Open with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.