Former WWE Superstar Jake Atlas was arrested back on May 23 in Orlando, Florida on domestic battery charges following an alleged violent encounter with his partner. Those charges have since been dropped according to TMZ after prosecutors deemed the case was “not suitable for prosecution.” Atlas originally signed with WWE in October 2019 and debuted on NXT the following April. He was released by the company in August 2021 and after a couple of matches on the independent scene he announced that he was retiring from the industry while citing his mental health.
“I’m not concussed or ‘banged up.’ I simply just can’t keep going anymore. Take your mental health seriously, both for yourselves & for each other, because we only have one life to live,” Atlas wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to anyone who did support me for 5 years. I didn’t do much, but what I did was fun. I’m stepping away from wrestling completely right now so please don’t ask me to do interviews/appearances. I’d like my privacy to be respected. At 26 years old, I’ve got my entire life ahead of me & I’m choosing to explore completely different industries to find my passion again. Unfortunately, it was unhealthy for me the entire time. I just learned how to hide it really well. I hope that friends & fans I’ve made alike continue to support me no matter what. I have major anxiety just having done that, please be sensitive. Thank you.”
His retirement would only last until late December when he arrived on AEW Dark. Tony Khan then announced he had signed with the company while giving his customary “All Elite” social media post, but Atlas then suffered a torn ACL the following week during his match with Adam Cole. After Atlas’ arrest fans discovered that AEW never added him to their official website. It was then reported in June that Atlas had only signed a per-date deal with the company, which has since expired. He is also not expected to return to the promotion following the arrest.
With the Forbidden Door pay-per-view now in the rearview, AEW will return to television with AEW Dynamite: Blood and Guts this week in Detroit. The main event will see The Jericho Appreciation Society take on Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Santana and Ortiz in a Blood and Guts match.