Tay Melo asked out of AEW, and Tony Khan says he’s going to let her walk. The AEW president confirmed that Melo recently requested her release after deciding she wanted to step away from wrestling altogether.
Khan addressed the situation during the AEW Redemption media call and pushed back on claims that Melo first asked for her release in 2025. According to him, the request came only weeks ago after the June 6 episode of AEW Collision.
“With Tay, there was smoke to the fire, but people were reporting the fire in the wrong place. What does that really accomplish?”
Khan said Melo approached him after she and Anna Jay lost to Divine Dominion’s Lena Kross and Megan Bayne. That’s when she told him she wanted out.
“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 said the timing being shared online was wrong and insisted this had not been some year-long fight behind the scenes. He also said Melo contacted him this week and denied being the person feeding those older claims to the media.
“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.”
“It’s far to the contrary of what I’ve seen reported about this being last year or it being an ongoing thing. I heard from Tay this week, and she said she’s not putting those reports out. It really bothered her.”
Khan made it clear there is no bad blood between them. He said their conversations have always been respectful and that he stopped booking Melo after she told him she wanted to leave. Then came the part that ended all the guessing.
“We haven’t had an unpleasant conversation ever. I’ve always had a very good relationship with Tay. She asked about stepping away recently. It hasn’t been a long thing, and I haven’t kept her here.”
“Since that talk, I haven’t brought her back or booked her, and I am going to give Tay that release.”
Melo joined AEW in 2020 after leaving WWE and became a regular part of the women’s division. Her June 6 tag-team match may now stand as her final appearance for the company. Tay Melo wanted out, Tony Khan agreed, and her AEW run is now coming to an end. Whether she returns somewhere else or stays away from wrestling remains to be seen.
Do you think Tay Melo will eventually return to the ring, or is this the end of her wrestling career? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
