Athletic Commission barred AEW star from wrestling in an iconic venue, he admits: "I got kicked off the show"

The AEW roster features many rising stars who have made their names on the indies and in smaller promotions. The world of wrestling can often be much different than the spectacles seen on WWE TV, and one such example is dealing with Athletic Commissions of various states. A top AEW heel is revealing how he was kicked off one event by regulators.

Nick Wayne grew up training under his father, longtime indie fan-favorite Buddy Wayne. After debuting at age 12, the Seattle native continued his journey until being offered an All Elite Wrestling contract by longtime friend Darby Allin in 2022. He was able to begin working under the deal when he turned 18. Wayne debuted in July 2023 with a loss to Swerve Strickland, who he defeated for the DEFY World Championship months prior.

The Prodigy once dealt with the NY State Athletic Commission when trying to work a Kickoff Scramble at Game Changer Wrestling's The Wrld On GCW at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom in January 2022, at the age of 16. Wayne was pulled from the show at the last minute after the NY State Athletic Commission found out he was under 18 years old.

Wayne now has a chance at securing a win inside the legendary NYC venue as AEW has announced that he will face Hook later this month when ROH and AEW invade Hammerstein for three nights. The Patriarchy member took to X to make a declaration today.

"Once upon a time, a 16 year old Nick Wayne was supposed to wrestle at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Not being 18, I got kicked off the show from being snitched out to the athletic commission. 3 years later, I’ll walk into NYC to embarrass and expose HOOK, and finally get my Hammerstein moment I’ve always deserved," Nick Wayne wrote.

ROH will run Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday, December 20 with its Final Battle pay-per-view. AEW will then air Christmas Collision on December 21, then return to the same venue on Sunday, December 22 to tape Dynamite on 34th Street and the New Year's Smash Rampage.

AEW Dynamite updated lineup for Wednesday

All Elite Wrestling will air Wednesday's live Dynamite from Fishers Event Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. The episode will feature the final build for next week's Winter Is Coming episode.

The Continental Classic and build to Worlds End will continue on Wednesday's Dynamite. Below is the updated lineup:

1. Jay White vs. PAC
2. Max Caster vs. Swerve Strickland
3. Continental Classic, Gold League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King
4. Continental Classic, Blue League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Shelton Benjamin
5. The sixth annual Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale

The 174th edition of Rampage will also be taped on Wednesday, to air on Friday. The company will then run GalaxyCon in Columbus, OH on Saturday for a special live Collision.