Former AEW coach: ‘Corruption and negligence are running unchecked’ at company
Former AEW coach Sarah Stock has posted several comments critical of the promotion.
Stock made a series of posts over the last several days accusing AEW of mismanagement. Earlier this week, she responded to a post by Tiara James, who has wrestled a handful of times with Ring of Honor, by insinuating that AEW’s Amanda Huber may have had something to do with her being “sidelined” by the promotion.
“Another one falls victim to the hand of Hysterical Huber. Tiara, if you’ve ever felt sidelined at @aew, it’s not you. I promise,” Stock wrote to James.
Huber and Stock clashed online in October when Stock was publicly critical of the Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley match at WrestleDream.
In particular, Stock has been critical of changes AEW has made to its HR department. She wrote:
“Corruption and negligence are running UNCHECKED at @aew
There is so much more than this. Receipts are coming. Anyone who doesn’t want to listen, stop listening. I don’t care.
In the meantime, TALENT AND COMPANY SAFETY CONTINUES TO BE PUT AT RISK, to line the pockets of Kosha and Manzione.
Of all the departments to eliminate…🙄”
Stock continued:
“I’m calling out corruption. Hi, Karen “Fibber” Bibber and Chris “Not A” Man-zione 👋🏻 Sleep tight.”
“Oops, forgot to tag them. It’s @the_real_manzo and I can’t find Karen’s handle; probably disappeared publicly out of embarrassment for her grand flop of a ‘greatest accomplishment’ in @aew: renaming ‘Human Resources’ to ‘People & Culture’. 🙄😅 You go, girl! Earn that paycheck!”
Stock continued to tag AEW’s Chris Manzione:
“I’d like some clarification, please @the_real_manzo. How many mental health-related ‘issues’ are @aew wrestlers permitted per year before they start getting charged? We’ve been directed to you for answers. Thanks!”
“Has Manzione explained yet how the decision was made to replace an extremely qualified, diverse, and beloved team of mental health professionals with a 3rd-party booking app? Karen From Not-HR places the blame on talent, saying they asked for “more accessibility”. That’s the biggest joke of this entire fiasco. Please talk us through it, @the_real_manzo”
Asked if she thinks she’ll get a response, Stock responded:
“I’m not sure why he wouldn’t! The new mental health “program” he implemented (eliminated) surely benefits TALENT and STAFF! You’d think the man in charge would be excited to come online and clear up any misunderstandings. The floor is yours, @the_real_manzo!”
Stock also criticized how AEW handles the booking of its talent from Mexico:
“Here’s how @koshairby and @aew took care of 🇲🇽 Mexican talent: to save 💰 on flights home btwn Dynamite and Collision, they’d fly in Mexican talent on Tues and keep them in the country until Sunday, no per diem, no food allowance, and ONLY ONE DAY/WEEK AT HOME WITH THEIR FAMILY. I was furious when I found out. I addressed the insanity and immorality of that with Kosha, but, ‘Then I’d have to do it for everyone.’”
Stock was also critical of AEW’s production meetings:
“Only a small specialized niche of professionals will understand how disastrous this is, but @aew doesn’t have production meetings, either. Poor Mansury, pro of pros, trying to get a minimum of 2 live shows each week on the air with next-to-zero information, and a whole roster and staff even more in the dark as 8 pm Wednesday hits.”
“The meeting: Q-Tip texts the coaches. We’re in TK’s office. In comes Swerve or Mox or Darby or Christian or Jericho or Edge or anybody who believes their time matters more than everyone else’s. That’s how it was 6 months ago. TK spends 45-120 min with each. Coaches go back to their job w no direction, disgusted at what they’re witnessing. Show starts at 8, cross your fingers.”
Stock joined AEW as a coach in 2023. Before that, she held a similar role with WWE from 2015 until her release in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fightful Select reported in April that Stock was no longer working for AEW, though the circumstances surrounding her exit were not disclosed. The outlet noted that she had previously raised concerns about AEW’s mental health program and changes within that department.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.