Brandi Rhodes And Amanda Huber React To Leva Bates' AEW Contract Expiring

Yesterday evening, AEW star Leva Bates announced her departure from the company, making her a free agent for the first time since 2019. Two of Bates' friends, Brandi Rhodes and Amanda Huber, reacted on social media to the announcement.

"The definition of a self starter," Rhodes said, praising Bates for her work as a CBO Coordinator. "[You] learned as you went with no prior experience. You can't teach someone drive, passion, and determination. Leva, you have it all and you deserve respect and recognition for all that you've accomplished." Rhodes left AEW in early 2022 alongside her husband but has yet to pop up in WWE and has maintained a relatively low profile since.

"My heart is absolutely broken for my friend," Huber shared. "I can't wait to see where her drive, passion, empathy, and warmth takes her." Huber, the wife of the late Brodie Lee, currently serves on AEW's community outreach team and helps run the company's all-women fan club, "Heels," which Bates was also a major part of prior to her departure.

Bates started with AEW back in 2019, debuting as one of two "Librarian" characters alongside Peter Avalon. In addition to her onscreen work, Bates had several backstage roles in AEW, including being a major part of the makeup and wardrobe departments. As the AEW roster has continued to grow and TV time has been harder to come by, Bates has appeared less often than she did in the company's earlier days. The status of her backstage positions is currently unknown, but based on her own words it seems as though Bates will be moving on from AEW entirely.