AEW News Roundup - WWE removes controversial star, Free agent wants Tony Khan to sign him, Rhea Ripley at Grand Slam?

Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News roundup. Today, we're going to take a look at stories involving WWE, Tony Khan, Rhea Ripley, and more.

A current AEW Champion attempted to walk out of his match at Grand Slam: Australia. A WWE Superstar was also spotted in attendance during Grand Slam 2025. So, without any further ado, let's dive into all of these stories:

#4. WWE shockingly snubs current AEW star during Vengeance Day

Mercedes Mone (fka Sasha Banks) has had an incredibly successful professional wrestling career filled with accomplishments in different promotions. The CEO was seen as one of the famed four-horsewomen in the Stamford-based promotion that made their mark in the company.

A video package aired on NXT Vengeance Day 2025 showed Roxanne Perez talking about how she became the face of NXT's women's division. She further claimed that the promotion needed the help of the Four Horsewomen, while she did it on her own.

While mentioning these female pioneers, only Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Bayley were shown in the package, with Sasha Banks being the only one omitted.

The CEO is quite a controversial figure for the Stamford-based promotion. She walked out with Naomi due to creative differences while being the Women's Tag Team Champion.

#3. Former WWE star is open to joining AEW; would love a conversation with Tony Khan

Dijak looks to be keeping his options open for his professional wrestling career. As the former WWE star moves forward to take the next step for the future, he is open to speaking with Tony Khan for a working opportunity.

Dijak recently spoke in an interview with WrestlePurists and revealed that he had visited All Elite Wrestling with a few of his friends. The star was then asked how the time went and whether he had spoken with AEW's President Tony Khan about an opportunity to work in the promotion at some point. He said:

“It went great, I got to see so many familiar faces that I hadn’t seen in seven years. I really enjoyed that. We haven’t had the opportunity to speak yet, but I would love to have a conversation with him.”

Dijak further stated in the same interview that he was surprised that Khan had not reached out to him as of yet. The former WWE star believes that the wrestling business is all about timing, and sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot.

#2. Rhea Ripley was reportedly in attendance at Grand Slam: Australia

Both AEW and WWE have talents that are close to each other. One specific couple from that category is Buddy Matthews and Rhea Ripley.

The pair are quite open about their relationship and express their love for each other on social media. It's now been reported by Fightful that Rhea Ripley had even come out to support her husband, Buddy Matthews in his Continental title match against Kazuchika Okada at AEW Grand Slam 2025.

It was a thrilling encounter between the two fantastic in-ring performers, however, the former WWE star would come up a bit short against The Rainmaker.

#1. AEW Champion walks out mid-match at Grand Slam: Australia gets baited back

Kazuchika Okada put his Continental Championship on the line at Grand Slam: Australia against Buddy Matthews. The Rainmaker has been quite laidback when it comes to his title reign and hasn't shown any signs of making too much of an effort.

Even his recent title defense came after The Hounds of Hell member pushed for it to happen at Grand Slam: Australia. The two stars put on an excellent match for the crowd in Brisbane. However, at one point, Okada looked like he had enough of the action. The Rainmaker grabbed his title from the timekeepers' area and tried to leave the match.

However, Buddy Matthews would then grab a microphone to call Okada out for his actions, coupled with some explicit insults. This would tempt the current Continental Champion to turn back and rejoin the competition.