In a tale as old as wrestling time — or at least as old as that one chair shot Mariah May took — contract drama is brewing, and it stars Mariah May, AEW’s one-time breakout darling and current Queen of Strategic Ghosting.
After getting smacked around by “Timeless” Toni Storm at AEW Revolution, May hasn’t been seen on AEW television. Not on Dynamite, Rampage, or even the catering cam (if that were a thing — and honestly, it should be). Her absence has fans and execs playing Where’s Waldo: Wrestling Edition, and rumors are now heating up faster than a Tony Khan tweet at 3 a.m.
According to the always-watching duo Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline, both WWE and AEW believe Mariah May is headed for Stamford once her contract expires. No word yet if she’ll be packaged with dramatic lighting and renamed “Mariah NXTreme,” but we’ll keep you posted.
However, not so fast. Fightful Select swooped in like a skeptical older sibling and added some reality to the rumor stew. Yes, her AEW deal is up later this year. Yes, there’s buzz. But no — there’s been no official decision made. And that “internal WWE list” circulating online with her name on it? Fake. A phony. A Photoshop special.
Sources close to May say she’s “being wise” and “maximizing her leverage,” which is wrestling talk for “she’s pulling a Cody and seeing who offers better pyro.” AEW still wants to keep her, but it’s unclear if any real negotiations have even happened yet — which feels like an oversight unless Tony Khan is already writing her goodbye tweet.
And that disappearance from TV? Fans have noticed. May didn’t just lose to Toni Storm — she vanished entirely, skipping the Owen Hart Women’s Cup, the backstage drama, and the inevitable run-in with Luther. That’s commitment to contract negotiation. Or maybe she’s just avoiding RJ City.