AEW star Willow Nightingale has opened up about her decision to sign a new multi-year contract with the company, revealing that the thought of testing the waters of free agency barely crossed her mind. In a new interview, the former TBS Champion explained that her happiness with the AEW locker room and the creative freedom the company affords her were the primary reasons for her choice to remain with the promotion.
Willow Nightingale on Her Decision to Remain with AEW
It was first reported in May that Willow Nightingale had signed a new multi-year deal to remain with All Elite Wrestling. Speaking with the News-Herald, Nightingale provided more insight into her thought process, stating that she is so content in her current environment that the idea of leaving was never a serious consideration.
“The idea of entertaining free agency didn’t even really cross my mind. I mean, obviously, the thought was there because it’s a business at the end of the day, but I am so happy where I am, and I feel like my work here is so far from done,” she said.
For Nightingale, the combination of a positive work environment and the feeling that she still has more to accomplish in AEW made the decision to re-sign an easy one.
The Freedom to Grow
A key factor in Nightingale’s decision was the unique freedom that an AEW contract provides. She praised the company for allowing her to continue wrestling for other promotions around the world, which is a major passion of hers. This flexibility allows her to grow as a performer by facing a diverse range of opponents while still having AEW as her home base.
“The things that I love about wrestling the most are afforded to me here. I do get to travel and see the world, wrestle other places, wrestle other people,” Nightingale explained.
This model, which is common in AEW, allows talent to continue working on the independent scene and with international partner promotions like CMLL and NJPW, an opportunity that is not available in other major U.S. promotions. For a performer like Nightingale, who made her name on the independent circuit, this freedom is a crucial part of her career satisfaction.
A Hungry and Evolving Locker Room
Ultimately, it was the quality and competitive nature of the AEW women’s locker room that sealed the deal for Willow. She described a passionate and evolving environment where everyone is constantly pushing to get better. She used the recently returned Penelope Ford as an example of a wrestler who has come back from a long-term injury with the same hunger she had on day one.
“That is the kind of locker room I want to be a part of… who’s just, like, ‘OK, we’re evolving, we’re growing, I’m gonna get with it,’” she said. “We all want each other’s spot. Whoever’s at the top — (AEW women’s world champion) Toni Storm, (TBS champion) Mercedes Moné — we all want to be you. That’s the company I want to be in. I don’t want to be the best of people who are just happy to be where they are. I want to be the best people who are hungry and trying to make everybody better.”
This desire to be surrounded by driven, competitive people who push her to be her best was the final confirmation for Nightingale that AEW was the right place for her to continue her career.
