Six-Year AEW Veteran Parts Ways With The Company
Another longtime AEW star has officially parted ways with the company.
As of November 11, 2026, Tay Melo has been granted her release from All Elite Wrestling, bringing an end to her nearly six-year run with the promotion.
Melo, who first joined AEW in 2020, has also been removed from the official AEW roster page.
The departure has been in the works for several months.
During the AEW Redemption media call on July 23, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that Melo had personally requested her release following her June 6 appearance on AEW Collision.
According to Khan, Melo expressed a desire to step away from both AEW and professional wrestling at the time.
“Tay had said she wanted to step away from wrestling,” Khan stated. “She said, ‘I love AEW and I love the people here, but I want to step away from AEW and step away from wrestling.’ That’s what she told me.”
Khan admitted that the request caught him off guard, although he made it clear that there was no animosity between the two sides.
“That wasn’t in 2025,” Khan continued. “That was weeks ago at Collision after she wrestled against Divine Dominion. She came to me after the match and said, ‘I would like a release.’ I was taken aback, and we had a very nice talk. Since that talk, I haven’t brought her back or booked her, and I am going to give Tay that release.”
Despite Khan’s comments about Melo wanting to step away from wrestling altogether, the former AEW star subsequently clarified that she had not retired.
Speculation about her in-ring future intensified in September when fans noticed that she had removed the word “wrestler” from her Instagram biography.
When one fan thanked Melo for her career under the assumption that she had officially retired, she responded with a brief clarification.
“Nope, I didn’t retire.”
With her AEW release now official, Melo is free to explore opportunities elsewhere in the wrestling industry.
As of this writing, the 31-year-old has not publicly announced any plans regarding her next destination or a potential return to the ring.
Tay Melo has been officially removed from the AEW roster page website. https://t.co/gan0HAOkyd
— Drainmaker (@TheDrainmaker) November 11, 2026
