Jade Cargill Declined "100-Page Contract" From WWE To Sign With AEW
Current AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill recently spoke with Talk Is Jericho. During the interview, she admitted that in real life, money isn't an issue for her. That is because she is rich, but for her, that only proves how much she actually wants it.
"The difference for me that people don't understand is that, in real life, I am rich. I am, I don't want to say it like that, but in plain terms, I am rich, I don't need to do this. I do this because I enjoy it, I love coming to work, I love pushing the limit, and I love seeing what I can do. Now, can I say I have the love that you (Chris Jericho) have? Because you've been doing this for so long, or anybody else in the locker room who's been doing this for 10, 20 years?
"No. But, right now I am enjoying it, I see myself in the future of wrestling. I would never have stepped foot into this business if I am not passionate about it if I didn't stay up late at night studying if I didn't want this. If I was not hungry, I would have never done it."
However, the fact that she isn't reliant on professional wrestling proved an issue for WWE. While the company did want to sign her, Jade Cargill admitted they questioned her commitment.
"They wanted me," she stated. "The problem they had mixed feelings about was like I mentioned, I don't need wrestling, I don't need to do this. A lot of people, especially at the tryout, they need this, this is how they feed their families, they've been doing this forever, and for them to get to this point they would give any and everything to do it. So they were like, 'we want you, we are going to sign you. But we are kind of worried about how bad you want this, we are not just some reality show.'"
Another situation that put her off WWE was the fact they grilled her about having a child. The company was worried about how she would look after her daughter around wrestling. Even though she explained that it left Jade Cargill feeling put off.
"He was like, 'also, you have a child.' And I was like, 'yeah, I do,' and they were like, 'what are you going to do?' Because at the time my daughter was two. I was like, 'well, thankfully, because I have money, we can pay a tutor to help tutor my child being that we have to relocate to Orlando.' So I was like, 'I can do that. I can have a 24-hour nanny.'
"But they were grilling my about it, to which I was kind of put off. Because I was like, 'my spouse can travel with me wherever we go, this could be easy for me. I have thought about all the precautions to this, I have been warned about the traveling, I get it.' He was like, 'yeah, yeah, yeah. I get what you're saying, but this is your family now, I want you to know that.' I was like, 'I get it, I totally understand that, and I have thought about it, and I want it. I've been training for this, this is what I want.'"
Ultimately, Jade Cargill opted to sign with AEW, where she remains to this day. She revealed that WWE did send her a contract, but the experience with AEW was much better. Jade spoke about the positives that AEW had.
"They sent the contract, they wanted me to do it, but then AEW came about. I came here, got the experience, and I felt calm," she said. "It made me feel at ease about the decision I wanted to make. I didn't have to relocate, I felt at home. I could call the owner of our company and talk to him, and he knew my name. He knew my purpose, he knew that I wanted to do this, and that mattered to me. I wasn't just a number. He knew exactly who I was, and that made me feel comfortable.
"And yes, the other company was pissed off that they sent me this 100-page contract. But I made the best decision for my family, and I made the best decision for myself. I mean, look at me. I don't think I would be anywhere close. So, I just know I made the best decision coming to this company."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.