Considering the amount he is featured on “Being the Elite,” many believed Joey Ryan would likely sign with AEW sometime in 2019. Recently at a show for his Bar Wrestling promotion, however, Ryan announced he would remain an independent wrestler and would not be signing with a major promotion in the foreseeable future.

Ryan appeared on Sam Roberts’ wrestling podcast recently and explained not signing with All Elite Wrestling.

“It’s funny because people still think I’m there or expect me to be there,” Ryan said. “I get tagged in all those AEW tweets and all that stuff because people assume that I’m with that company. Those guys are my best friends, and that doesn’t change but I’ve had extensive discussions with them and it’s a thing where they’re not sure if what I do can play in, whether it’s their TV show or if it’s…”

“So, they don’t really have an idea for me specifically, there’s not really like ‘if we bring you on, we have to take away what makes you over.’”

“So, it’s a gamble for me, not only creatively, but financially, because even now, I’m making better money than these contracts can offer to start. So not only would I essentially take a pay cut, but also essentially start over. We’ve had discussions about it and it just didn’t make sense.”

The full interview can be listened to in the player below: