Joey Janela Splits From PRODUCE Wrestling

Joey Janela is done with PRODUCE Wrestling. The independent standout announced on Tuesday, August 4, that the PRODUCE show he had been curating alongside Megan Bayne would no longer go forward, and that a new curator would be named to take over the event. Shortly after that announcement, Janela followed up with a second statement making clear his departure went further than just stepping away from that specific show — he said he will no longer work for or with PRODUCE Wrestling in any capacity going forward.

Details on exactly what led to the split have not been made public, and neither Janela nor PRODUCE Wrestling has offered a detailed explanation beyond the announcements themselves. What is clear is that the change is significant enough that the promotion now needs to find someone new to curate the show that Janela and Bayne had been building.

For those who follow the independent scene, Janela has long been one of the most recognizable and hardest-working names outside the major promotions. He built his reputation on the GCW and deathmatch circuits before becoming a fixture in AEW during its early years, and he has continued to bounce between promotions while also taking on behind-the-scenes roles like curating shows — a task that requires booking talent, shaping a card’s identity, and putting a creative stamp on an event beyond just wrestling on it. PRODUCE Wrestling had leaned on Janela’s eye for talent and his standing in the indie community to give its shows a distinct flavor, with Bayne serving as his partner in that process.

A sudden pullout like this leaves a gap not just for one show, but potentially for the promotion’s broader booking philosophy if Janela had a hand in shaping more than a single event. Finding a replacement curator who can match his connections and creative direction won’t be simple, especially on short notice. It also raises questions about whether Bayne remains involved with PRODUCE going forward, since she had been paired with Janela on the now-scrapped show.

Janela has never been shy about walking away from situations he’s unhappy with, and this wouldn’t be the first time an independent wrestler has clashed with a promotion over creative control or business terms. Without more specifics from either side, it’s hard to say definitively what soured the relationship, but the language in his statement — explicitly ruling out working “for or with” the company — suggests this isn’t a temporary cooling-off period.

For now, the independent wrestling world will be watching to see where Janela lands next and how PRODUCE Wrestling moves forward without one of its more prominent voices behind the curtain. Expect more clarity in the days ahead as a new curator is named and as Janela addresses his future plans, likely through his own social media or one of the many independent platforms he’s used throughout his career to speak directly to fans.