The drama between former Paradigm exec Nick LoPiccolo and pro wrestler Joey Janela just hit a new leveland this time, its personal.
It all started on January 27, 2026, when a Twitter user named Basque called out LoPiccolo over his recently deleted tweets, suggesting that he was running from further unprofessional grovel and tarnishing a dream job. Basque tagged both LoPiccolo and Joey Janelaand also posted screenshots of Janela making fun of LoPiccolo, even throwing in a jab about cocaine. Basques tweet read:
Thats when LoPiccolo jumped in to set the record straightand he didnt hold back. He responded directly to Basque and explained the real reason why those tweets were deleted. Before posting the screenshots, LoPiccolo wrote:
According to LoPiccolo, he reached out to Janela privately after the tweets kept coming. He wanted to clear the airand he shared those direct messages publicly to show his intent wasnt to escalate. In the DMs, LoPiccolo tried to de-escalate tensions by highlighting how personal the attacks had become for him: I have 2 kids. Please keep it up, Ill actually have an issue.
Janela, however, didnt hold back: Lol. You already have issues, and need help. Still, LoPiccolo tried to keep it civil: Were both trolling. It is ok. We dont know each other.
But Janela wasnt done, throwing one last shot: The difference between me and you trolling is you have a lot more to lose than me. In the final part of the exchange, LoPiccolo made it clear that he wasnt interested in online heat:
Then, on January 28, Janela took it to another levelmocking LoPiccolo again on Twitter for posting their private conversation and doubling down on the drug accusations:
So far, AEW and Tony Khan have stayed silent on both this incident and LoPiccolos earlier accusation about a suspected burner account tied to Khan. But between Janelas comments and LoPiccolos effort to walk away from the spotlight, the situation has spiraled far beyond just wrestling politics.
Was Joey Janela right to go scorched earth, or did Nick LoPiccolo deserve a chance to explain himself? Sound off in the commentswe want to hear your take on this escalating mess.
