Tye Dillinger On Why He's Coming To AEW, Taking Control Of His Career After Ups & Downs In WWE
As noted earlier, former WWE Superstar Tye Dillinger (Shawn Spears) has been announced for All Elite Wrestling's 21-man Casino Battle Royale on "The Buy In" Double Or Nothing pre-show this Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Dillinger, who left WWE back in February after requesting his release, spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and said he's coming to AEW because he believes in what they are doing.
"I'm coming to AEW because I believe in what they are doing," the 38 year old said. "I believe in providing an alternative for fans, and I really believe that the audience has wanted an alternative for quite some time. This is now the platform to give people exactly what they want, and I am really looking forward to proving myself in AEW."
Dillinger's 90-day non-compete clause from his WWE contract will expire less than 48 hours before Double Or Nothing. Dillinger said he has a very specific, driven direction for his career.
"My career has had its ups and downs, but I took the reins in the past few months," he said. "Now I plan on taking a very specific, driven direction. And what better time than this Saturday at Double or Nothing to prove that to the world?"
Dillinger, who will launch his Flatbacks wrestling school with WWE Superstar Tyler Breeze on July 1, is also eager to help develop new stars for AEW. He has been friends with AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes for years, and said he wasn't going to wait to be a part of the history-making promotion.
"I'm able to bring a great deal of experience to a company that is looking to build young talent, which is vital to the future of professional wrestling," he said. "I've known Cody [Rhodes] for a very long time, and in terms of this endeavor, there are no better four guys than Cody, the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega that I would trust to put this together. AEW is history-making. When the chance presented itself to be a part of something so groundbreaking, I wasn't going to wait around any longer."