Bea Priestley: Piper Niven Was Offered AEW Deal in 2018 UK Tour

Bea Priestley, the British wrestler who later competed in WWE as Blair Davenport, said a then-unsigned Piper Niven was among several wrestlers offered contracts by All Elite Wrestling during a December 2018 U.K. tour, but Niven could not accept because she had already signed with WWE for its NXT UK brand. Priestley made the disclosure in an interview on the That Sweet Pop podcast, recounting a trip that brought future AEW figures Cody and Brandi Rhodes to Britain just before the promotion formally launched on January 1, 2019.

Priestley said the December tour, which she believes was called Fight Forever, featured matches that impressed Cody and Brandi Rhodes and led to offers for her, Kip Sabian and Piper Niven. "They basically offer me, Kip, and Piper a contract," she told the podcast. Priestley said Niven had already committed to NXT UK and could not join AEW, while Sabian accepted and moved to the United States.

Priestley described being cautious about a fulltime AEW deal because she was champion in Japan’s World Wonder Ring Stardom and wanted to continue working there. "I still want to do Japan," she said. AEW initially contracted her on a per-appearance basis before offering...