Joey Janela Not Heartbroken Over AEW Exit, Enjoying His Freedom

Joey Janela's time with AEW came to an end almost a year ago, so how does "The Bad Boy" look back on his run with the company? Without regret, it seems, as Janela took to Twitter to respond to a fan lamenting his departure from AEW.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm but I get to walk to the beat of my own drum, make my money, travel the world monthly," he tweeted. "TV is TV. I'm not making a million dollars but the freedom is wonderful. I signed to wrestle [Kenny] Omega and got 2 matches out of it that fans love still! I'm GCW 4 life!"

Omega's Unsanctioned Match with Janela on "AEW Dark" marked an explosive start for the then-burgeoning YouTube show, but the two did clash two more times on "AEW Dynamite" before Janela's exit — once just weeks after their Unsanctioned Match, and the last time in an AEW World Title Eliminator in December 2021.

Janela's post-AEW ambitions have included remaining independent for the rest of his career and a possible run in Japan. While remaining heavily independent since his departure, he did have a 15-match run in DDT Pro Wrestling late last year.

His work with DDT will continue at the end of March for GCW's The Collective. The group's set of shows taking place over the course of WrestleMania week includes a cross-promotional GCW vs. DDT show. Janela is booked to wrestle Yuki Ueno on the card. Janela has faced Ueno twice in DDT, losing both times.