Marko Stunt Discusses His AEW Contract Not Being Renewed, Relationship With Tony Khan

Marko Stunt was an AEW original, participating in the inaugural AEW event Double or Anything 2019.

Though Stunt didn't wrestle often on television, he was a featured member of the Jurassic Express alongside Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus.

WWE SmackDown (12/20) Records Decline In Average Viewership Against Indiana-Notre Dame CFB Playoff Game

Being part of the first wave of signed AEW wrestlers, Stunt had a good relationship with Tony Khan.

"He really is a good, nice dude, really easy to confront and talk to," Stunt told Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston. "I never had any issues with him. There was a time where we were talking every day, every day we were at work. There was a time where there were groups of us and he'd be there and just hang out with all of us. It was not as big of a group as there is now, so there is a lot less people in the hang out area. He wants to hear ideas. Does he always go with them? No. At the end of the day, it's what he wants to do. He was very approachable and easy to talk to."

Stunt's role in the Jurassic Express became lessened when Christian Cage was aligned with the stable and Stunt would be off television by the end of 2021. In 2022, his contract was not renewed and communication with Khan lessened.

"That is where the communication lagged a lot," Stunt said about his contract coming to an end. "When time started running out. I meant to say this, as I was saying we [Khan and I] were close, there was a time where we weren't (close) either. From there, we would see each other at work and just be 'Ah, hey, hey, hey.' I never really had any communication at the end, so I didn't know if I was getting let go or renewed or anything. I sent out an email and didn't get a response. I texted him and didn't get a response. About a month before it happened, I did get a call and got told, not by him, that I wasn't going to be renewed and then I did text him and say, 'Hey man, just want to thank you for the all the opportunities.' It was a fantastic opportunity. I'm 25 years old and was with the company for three years. I had a blast and lived my dream. I wanted to thank him for that. He did text me back and said, 'Hey man, thank you for everything, sorry we couldn't give a spot for you moving forward.' I did tell him maybe we would work together one day in the future. He did say there was a possibility for that. I'm not holding onto that, but if it does, it does, if it doesn't, I'm good," said Stunt.

When asked if it was odd that Khan would text him back after it was stated his contract wouldn't be renewed but have little to no communication prior, Stunt replied, "Of course that's weird, but it's kind of him."

When asked if he was given a reason as to why his contract wasn't being renewed, Stunt said, "I was told budget reasoning and plans had just changed for what they wanted to do. It was a general 'let go.'"

Stunt then discussed how he was feeling about his contract not being renewed as AEW continues to bring in new talents

"I try not to get too upset about that stuff. There have definitely been days where I'm like, 'What the hell, what's going on?' Now that it's done and over with, I haven't had that. To be real honest, I don't have any desire to work there right now. That's not me saying I don't want to work for them ever, but right now, it's fresh still. I want to see what else is out there," he said.

Stunt has been making various independent appearances since leaving AEW.

Elsewhere during the interview, Stunt revealed he's looking to start his own promotion in September. You can find his full comments by clicking here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.