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Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor Roundup. Today, we'll take a look at news stories involving Saraya hinting at a WWE return, Penta breaking his silence on his AEW run, and more.
A former WWE star has officially announced her departure from All Elite Wrestling. Additionally, Dustin Rhodes was revealed to be legitimately upset after hearing a former AEW World Champion's promo. So, without any further ado, let's dive into all of these stories:
#5. Maria Kanellis officially announces her AEW departure
Maria Kanellis joined All Elite Wrestling in October 2022 and subsequently became a prominent fixture in ROH. However, she was taken off television because of her health issues last year. In July 2024, Maria revealed that doctors had discovered a mass on her adrenal gland.
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She has since undergone surgery for the mass and is currently recovering. During Maria's absence, her husband Mike Bennett continued to appear in AEW.
On Saturday, the former WWE star announced on her X (FKA Twitter) account that today was her last day in All Elite Wrestling. She further confirmed that her husband will continue to work for the promotion.
#4. Saraya provides an update on her AEW contract and hints at a WWE return
Saraya has been on a hiatus from AEW since October 2024, and fans are wondering if she'll ever show up following her recent announcement. The former WWE star's time in All Elite Wrestling hasn't been the brightest despite her winning the Women's World Championship.
The Anti-Diva recently spoke with TMZ and gave an update on her current contract status. In the interview, the English professional wrestler revealed that her contract with Tony Khan's promotion will expire in September this year.
The former NXT Women's Champion also mentioned her love for WWE and noted that she would always be thankful to the Stamford-based promotion for making her a star.
“I love WWE. I appreciate everybody there. They made me; they gave me my career, and I'm just appreciative of that. One day, who knows, [but] I love my time in AEW!” she said.
#3. Dustin Rhodes was legitimately upset with a former AEW World Champion's promo
MJF is known for throwing a lot of insults and jabs towards his opponents in his promos. We saw him work that same disrespectful magic towards his current rival, Jeff Jarrett, as The Wolf of Wrestling took shots aimed at Double J's wife and the late Owen Hart.
Jarrett has now disclosed that Dustin Rhodes was quite upset backstage after MJF's controversial promo segment. Speaking on the My World With Jeff Jarrett podcast, The Last Outlaw revealed that someone told him that Dustin had even screamed backstage following the promo.
"So I was going my separate way, and I knew I had a promo, and a guy came up to me, and he said, 'I gotta ask you, is Dustin really upset?' And I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'Man, he screamed back here twice during your promo,' and I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' He goes, 'Dude, I'm telling you he's upset!'" he said.
#2. Penta breaks silence on his AEW run
Penta has been on a hot streak ever since he made his debut in WWE after departing All Elite Wrestling last November. The masked luchador was a part of Tony Khan's promotion since its inception and achieved great success as part of The Lucha Bros., alongside his brother, Rey Fenix.
However, it seems that things between the duo and Tony Khan's company did not end smoothly, particularly in Fenix's case. Fenix could not join his brother in WWE due to complications with his contract and is currently still signed to All Elite Wrestling.
In a recent interaction with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture, Penta was asked about the time he spent as part of The Lucha Bros. alongside Fenix in Tony Khan's promotion. Cero Miedo seemed hesitant to completely open up on his time in AEW, as he admitted that he didn't like speaking about it.
“It was a good session for me, but to be honest, I don’t like speaking something [sic] about this, but just it’s [sic] a good process for me," Penta said.
#1. Update regarding the AEW Grand Slam: Australia broadcast delay
Many fans are still confused about broadcast timings for Grand Slam: Australia. An update has emerged with a lot more details to explain the situation following a report that alleged that the show will air on a 20-hour delay following the NBA All-Star coverage.
Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a replay of the NBA All-Star is slated for 12:30 a.m. This means that Grand Slam: Australia will air at 10:30 p.m. on the East Coast and 7:30 p.m. on the West Coast. It was further added that MAX would also air the show at the same time as TNT.
