AEW News & Rumor Roundup: Popular star can't join due to WWE issue, Tony Khan "wasn't high" on top ex-champion, Sad Beth Phoenix update

Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor Roundup. Today we're going to be taking a look at news stories involving top stars such as Orange Cassidy, Mercedes Mone, and more.

We also have an update on the speculation that Beth Phoenix and Samantha Irvin are possibly heading to All Elite Wrestling. Nick Jackson has also revealed that Tony Khan wasn't a fan of one of its most popular stars on the roster.

So, without any further ado let's dive into all of these stories:

#5. Update on Samantha Irvin and Beth Phoenix AEW debut speculation

Samantha Irvin and Beth Phoenix were spotted backstage during the recent episode of Dynamite. This visit from the two female stars has fueled a lot of speculation from the fans of them possibly debuting for Tony Khan's promotion.

However, a new report from PWInsider has provided an unfortunate update on both of them heading to AEW. Speaking for Irvin, the former WWE announcer is currently under a no-compete with the Stamford-based wrestling promotion which makes her unable to show up on any combat sports programming. She frequently makes visits backstage to support her real-like partner Ricochet.

Now, for Phoenix, the report stated that there has been no discussion on bringing her in. Since Dynamite was in Asheville on January 1, where Phoenix resides with her husband Adam Copeland, she decided to visit.

#4. Tony Khan was reluctant to sign Orange Cassidy, according to Nick Jackson

Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks has revealed that Tony Khan was hesitant about signing one of the promotion's current biggest stars, Orange Cassidy. It's odd that Khan usually seems to have a great eye for spotting and recruiting talent but didn't see the same in The Freshly Squeezed.

Nick Jackson spoke on Social Suplex's Tunnel Talk and revealed that Khan wasn't convinced about bringing in Orange Cassidy to All Elite Wrestling. It took some convincing from him to sway his decision, with Tony Khan admitting later on that he was wrong:

"Chuck Taylor, of course, we’ve been good buddies with him since the CHIKARA days as well. It’s funny, there is a lot of the CHIKARA guys backstage to this day. Bryce Remsberg is another one, we’ve always been friends with him too. A lot of those guys, we specifically hired because of our CHIKARA days with them. I remember that Tony [Khan] wasn’t very high on Orange Cassidy at first so we had to kind of sell him on him for a little bit. And I remember Tony saying: ‘You guys were right.’" [H/T: Fightful]

#3. Popular AEW star suffers defeat after returning to the ring after 664 days

Tay Melo recently made her return to the ring after nearly two years of inactivity and unfortunately lost her first match back. Melo wrestled her last match before going on a hiatus due to personal reasons at the NEW Wrestlefest event in March 2023.

She now recently returned to wrestle on the STARDOM New Year Dream event after 664 days. Melo teamed up with Mina Shirakawa to take on Thekla and current ROH Women's World Champion Athena. It would be Athena who would ultimately pin Melo to secure the win for their team.

#2. AEW declines new collaboration with WWE Legend Ric Flair

WWE Legend, Ric Flair has been reportedly pulled from making another appearance in All Elite Wrestling. Flair had signed with the company and was positioned to play a pivotal role during Sting's retirement run.

The 16-time World Champion has not appeared for Tony Khan's promotion ever since Sting retired. Flair found himself in the midst of a lot of controversies in 2023 during his appearances for AEW and seems that the promotion is hesitant to bring him in again.

A report from PWinsider stated that Flair had been scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of Collision. However, he is no longer slated to show up, with the legendary tag team duo Rock N' Roll Express scheduled to show up instead this Saturday.

#1. Mercedes Mone recalls illness that almost derailed AEW World's End 2024 performance

Mercedes Mone put on a standout performance against Kris Statlander in a singles match for the AEW TBS Championship at World's End 2024. The match stands out as the longest women's match in the promotion's history and received huge praise from fans and critics alike.

However, Mone recalled over on the latest edition of Mone Mag that she had been dealing with the effects of relentless illness and a grueling travel schedule exacerbating it going into her match against Statlander. The former WWE star would then require her doctor to get treated with an IV pack and receive help from the AEW trainers after reaching the arena.

There was a lot of uncertainty regarding her condition to compete in the match. However, Mercedes Mone would tough it out and pick up the win, as well.