Backstage Update Emerges Following AEW Departure Of Star

As previously reported, Tay Melo has officially parted ways with AEW after requesting her release from the company.

AEW President and CEO Tony Khan confirmed that Melo approached him following her match on Collision and asked to be released, explaining that she wanted to step away from professional wrestling. Khan said he honored her request.

Since then, however, there have been conflicting interpretations regarding the circumstances surrounding Melo’s departure.

Speculation increased after Melo shared a post on Instagram about a tree that struggled while confined to a pot but flourished once planted in the ground. Some fans viewed the message as a metaphor for a fresh start, while others believed it reflected a personal decision, noting that Melo and her husband, Sammy Guevara, have a young daughter and suggesting she may be choosing to focus on family life.

According to one source, though, the wording of Melo’s post has also fueled another theory.

The source indicated that the carefully worded and somewhat cryptic message gave the impression that Melo may still want to wrestle, but perhaps outside of AEW after becoming frustrated with a lack of opportunities. While it was stressed that Melo never explicitly stated that was the case, the source noted that her wording left room for that interpretation.

For his part, Khan maintained that the situation has been exaggerated.

He said Melo told him she was not attempting to push that narrative, though he stopped short of directly disputing the speculation itself. As a result, questions remain about Melo’s future and whether her departure truly marks the end of her wrestling career or simply the end of her time in AEW.

(H/T: Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com)