AEW News Roundup: Major star fired, New AEW signing, Ricky Starks wins World Title, Sudden retirement 

Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor roundup. Today, we'll examine stories involving Ricky Starks, Rey Fenix, and more.

A four-time WWE Champion has reportedly recently signed with All Elite Wrestling. An AEW star has seemingly been fired following his arrest. So, without any further ado, let's dive into these stories:

#5. An AEW star reportedly fired after arrest

Bear Boulder is a member of the Iron Savages alongside Bulk Bronson and Jacked Jameson in All Elite Wrestling. The trio are mostly featured on ROH while they have also made sporadic appearances in Tony Khan's promotion.

It was recently reported by Fightful Select that AEW has fired Bear Boulder. Boulder, whose real name is Thomas Wansaw was arrested on January 13 on the count 'Battery by Strangulation (Domestic Violence)'. The victim in this situation was reported to be his fiancee.

#4. Former WWE star has reportedly signed with Tony Khan's promotion

Tony Khan has brought in another former star from WWE's camp. Elijah, who was formerly known as Elias was a prominent feature on WWE for some time. However, following Triple H's takeover of creative, he became directionless and was eventually released by the Stamford-based promotion in 2023.

The former 24/7 Champion would change his name from Elias to Elijah and start competing in promotions such as IWC, NWA, etc. Elijah recently posted a video on social media where he accompanied other AEW stars Vincent and Dutch. The three stars were dressed in all white and were walking through a field.

The clip ends with the narrator asking, "Who wants to walk with The Righteous Ones?" hinting that this would be their group name. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Elijah has signed a contract with Ring of Honor, and we can now expect to see him pop up in ROH and possibly even AEW.

#3. Ricky Starks won a major World Title outside AEW

Ricky Starks has been absent from All Elite Wrestling for a while now last competing in a match back in March 2024. However, he has been keeping busy showing his wrestling talents elsewhere.

The Absolute has been performing on the independent wrestling circuit and recently participated in DEFY Wrestling's eighth-anniversary show on February 7. Starks took on Kenta for the DEFY World Championship and emerged victorious, becoming the promotion's new World Champion.

#2. Former AEW star suddenly announced his retirement

Dani Jordyn debuted in All Elite Wrestling back in November 2019 on an episode of Dynamite and got squashed by Nyla Rose. She would then become a regular feature on DARK and compete against other prominent talent such as Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and more.

Jordyn has also kept active in the independent wrestling scene. However, the star has now takened on X (fka Twitter) to announce retirement from the professional wrestling industry due to mental health struggles. Dani explained that she had been losing interest in wrestling and stated that it wasn't the right call for her to get in the ring with other talented performers.

"I'd like to inform everyone that I am officially pulling out of pro wrestling. I'm not in a great place mentally. I've been struggling with that for a couple years now. Not too long ago I worked with someone who I had been looking forward to working, she gave me a great promo, & a great match. I gave her a sh*tty match & sh*tty promo because I didn't care to do more. It was so sad that I had no excitement about this show or what I was doing."

Sportskeeda Wrestling wishes Dani Jordyn the best for the next chapter of her life and career.

#1. Rey Fenix broke his silence on AEW contract status

Rey Fenix had been embroiled in controversy over his contract status with All Elite Wrestling. The Masked Luchador had previously voiced his frustrations with Tony Khan's company in deleted posts on social media.

His brother, Penta has now made it to WWE, and Fenix was also tipped to join alongside him but some time has been added to his contract due to a past injury. The former AEW Tag Team Champion spoke with Lalo Elizarraras and stated that he is still under contract with Tony Khan's promotion and is waiting to be called up to perform once again.

"Yes, basically I’m still under contract with an additional extension. I am waiting to be used, to be called to work, or to have my situation clarified a little more,” Rey Fenix said. [H/T Ringside News]

We're unsure if the situation between Fenix and Tony Khan will be resolved anytime soon and if Khan will call him up to be featured on TV once again following the controversial social media posts.