Will Washington Details Process Of Bryan Keith Joining AEW

One of the most wholesome moments in the short history of "AEW Collision" was the announcement of "The Bounty Hunter" Bryan Keith being signed to a full-time deal with AEW following his defeat to Eddie Kingston on the February 3 edition of the show. The signing came after Keith wrestled a series of matches in AEW and Ring of Honor, with his initial debut coming on the September 1, 2023 edition of "AEW Rampage" against Hangman Page.

On the most recent edition of "AEW Unrestricted," Will Washington detailed the process of how Keith's initial debut came to be. 

"Darius Martin came to me one day — and I can't remember what city we were in, but we were outside the hotel — and Darius Martin comes up to me and goes, 'What's it going to take to get Bryan Keith in here?'"

Washington and Keith got in contact and coordinated schedules, agreeing on Chicago the week after All In as the date. When AEW President Tony Khan arrived at the arena, he walked past the extras when he spotted Keith, leading him to storm into the creative room. "Immediately, he was like, 'We've got to get Bryan Keith on TV, I didn't know he was going to be here,'" Washinton revealed.

He admitted that he had forgotten to say anything to Khan, but once the AEW President saw "The Bounty Hunter" sitting with the extras, he decided to put him on TV against Hangman Page. By the end of the year, Keith had faced the Blackpool Combat Club on "Rampage," challenged Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship, and qualified for the Survival of the Fittest match for the Ring of Honor Television Championship at ROH Final Battle.

Please credit "AEW Unrestricted" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.