Tay Melo’s AEW run is officially over. After months of questions about her status and what she actually meant by stepping away from wrestling, Melo is now a free agent and no longer listed as part of AEW’s roster.
As of November 11, Melo has been granted her release from AEW. Her profile has also been removed from the company’s official roster page, and she is no longer included when viewing AEW’s women’s division.
That brings some closure to a situation that had been hanging around since the summer. Tony Khan revealed during the AEW Redemption media call on July 23 that Melo had personally asked him for her release following her June 6 Collision match. According to Khan, Melo told him she wanted to step away from both AEW and wrestling.
“Tay had said she wanted to step away from wrestling. 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 the request caught him by surprise, but there apparently wasn’t any nasty drama behind the scenes. The two had a conversation, Melo stopped being booked and Khan said he intended to give her what she wanted.
“That wasn’t in 2025. 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.”
Things got a little confusing in September when fans noticed Melo had removed “wrestler” from her Instagram bio. Considering Khan had already said she wanted to step away from wrestling, people naturally started wondering whether Melo had quietly retired altogether. One fan even thanked her for her career after assuming the bio change meant she was finished, but Melo shut that down immediately, saying, “Nope, I didn’t retire.”
For the first time in years, Tay Melo’s next move is completely hers to make. She hasn’t announced another promotion or revealed when she plans to get back in the ring, but one thing is finally settled — her AEW chapter is over, and she’s hitting the open market without calling it a career.
Where do you think Tay Melo should go next now that she’s officially a free agent? Let us know what you think in the comments.
