Two popular AEW stars still have "separate deals" with WWE [Reports]

Two AEW stars reportedly still have active deals with WWE. This offers them some unique opportunities.

Billy Gunn and Jake "The Snake" Roberts have been part of the All Elite Wrestling roster for several years. Billy joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and has been featured prominently on TV. He first teamed with The Gunns before he joined The Acclaimed. Jake Roberts has also been involved with Tony Khan's company since 2019. He has played the role of a manager for Lance Archer.

Despite being signed to All Elite Wrestling, Jake Roberts and Billy Gunn are part of the WWE 2K25 video game. Roberts is a playable character who is part of the legends roster while Gunn will be a DLC character as part of the Attitude Era Superstars Pack.

During a recent Fightful Q&A session, Sean Ross Sapp was asked how this was possible since they both aren't with WWE. He replied that Jake Roberts and Billy Gunn have separate deals with WWE merchandising that make it possible.

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Jake "The Snake" Roberts explains how he can appear in WWE games while working for AEW

WWE 2K25 isn't the only game that Jake "The Snake" Roberts has been featured in. He was also previously available in the WWE 2K24. This year's game will mark the 12th appearance of the legend in a WWE game. However, fans have wondered how this is possible considering Jake works for All Elite Wrestling.

In a recent episode of The Snake Pit podcast, Robert revealed that he informed AEW that he was going to keep his Legends contract and they were fine with it. He also recalled that WWE was fine with him working with the Jacksonville-based promotion as well.

"Well, I’m special. It’s a situation where I’m going to work for [All Elite Wrestling], and I’d like to keep my Legends contract. I told AEW that I was going to try to keep it. They said, ‘Fine, do it.’ So when I went to WWE, I told them I was going to work for AEW, and they gave me their blessing. Let’s face it, they still want to make money off of me," Jake Roberts said. [H/T: Fightful]

Check out the video below:

Wrestling video game fans are always happy to see the stars of yesteryears represented in the current generation of games.