Mariah May’s Surprise Jump: Why She Chose WWE Over AEW
Mariah May isn’t sticking around in AEW anymore. After her contract ran out in early June 2025, she pulled the plug on her All Elite run, shifting her sights to WWE with a fresh multi-year agreement. If you were watching the AEW roster page, you might’ve noticed her name vanished on May 31—an early hint that something big was brewing. Backstage sources say WWE and May planned this for a while, playing it cool and keeping everything hush-hush so her NXT debut would pack the biggest punch possible.
The split wasn’t ugly, either. Reports suggest her move came down to honest talks. Both AEW bosses and May felt her future was more in sync with WWE’s vision, and her management worked hand-in-hand with AEW’s higher-ups to make sure things ended smoothly. There wasn’t any of that bitter locker-room drama you sometimes get with surprise roster exits. Instead, it was an exit both sides saw coming, almost like a baton pass.
AEW Tenure: Title Runs, Rivalries – and What’s Next for WWE?
Thinking Mariah May hardly made her mark? Think again. Her AEW story has a bit of everything: championship gold, headline feuds, and show-stealing matches. She first clinched the AEW Women's World Championship at All In London, beating Toni Storm in August 2023. That wasn’t a short reign either—May held the title for a hefty 174 days, only surrendering it in February 2024 during AEW’s Grand Slam stopover in Australia. The May-Storm trilogy became must-watch TV, closing out with a banger at Revolution 2025. That feud didn’t just drag in viewers; it pretty much kept the women’s division buzzing for over a year.
Looks like WWE had their eye on her for a while, too. Backstage chatter reveals that talks started during her AEW deal, and May made it clear she wanted to take the next step. WWE’s folks, spotting her red-hot momentum and real in-ring talent, wasted no time locking her down. Now, with her NXT debut looming, the company plans to slot her straight into the mix, hyping her as the next big name and potential title contender in a women’s division that’s hungry for shake-ups.
This isn’t just another roster swap—Mariah May’s move comes right at the height of her career, and it’s a real shot of adrenaline for WWE’s women’s division. It’ll be tough for AEW to replace her kind of star power, but she’s not looking back. Wrestling fans everywhere are waiting to see what big moves May brings when the lights flip on at NXT—and how AEW tries to fill the gap she leaves behind. Keep your eyes on the next set of tapings. The game has changed.
