AEW star Tay Conti reveals why WWE tried to block her release
AEW star Tay Conti recently went into detail about her frustrations with WWE and why the company tried to block her release.
Tay Conti is one of the most integral parts of AEW's thriving women's division. With her MMA-influenced in-ring style and charming personality, Conti has quickly become a fan-favorite in the company.
Before joining Tony Khan's promotion, Tay was seemingly a highly appreciated talent in WWE who, despite possessing all the tools to be a star, failed to succeed.
During her recent appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, the AEW star recalled why WWE was skeptical about letting her go from the promotion. Tay Conti revealed that despite making multiple attempts to convince WWE, the promotion was adamant about not releasing her.
“I was asking for my release for a couple months. I was not happy,” Conti stated. “I was so unhappy there that I didn’t have any plans. I was just like, I want to get out of here. I’m not happy, and I never thought about, oh, what am I gonna do if they give me my release? I never thought about it. I was like, I just need to be done with them, and of course, they said no a couple times," said Conti (H/T - Wrestlinginc)
Tay Conti further stated that WWE didn't want her to go to AEW as they had "put a lot of money" on her. Conti added that she ultimately gave in and decided to remain with the promotion for the remainder of her contract, which had two more years left in it.
“I remember they told me, ‘No, you’re not gonna go to AEW. ‘We put a lot of money on you. You are star blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, you guys don’t use me here. So I gotta go somewhere, but it’s not there. I know nobody there. I have no plans to go to AEW.’ I had no plans because I had no contacts at all. At end of the day, we figured it out. They said, no, and I still had two years in my contract. And I was like, well, what I’m (sic) gonna do. I’m gonna be here." continued Conti
AEW star Tay Conti reveals WWE wasn't "very nice"
Just a few months later, WWE finally granted the release of Tay Conti as part of the mass cuts in April 2020. Conti disclosed that the call she received from WWE wasn't friendly, terming the personnel "not very nice."
"Out of nowhere, they called me because of — I mean, not out of nowhere. Everybody knew was what was going on because of COVID, but I was not expecting the call since we were okay. They told me ‘we are finally letting you go’ not in a really good, I don’t how to explain it without being too mean, they’re not too nice.” said Conti
It's safe to say that Tay Conti is currently in a much better place in AEW.
Conti seems pretty much destined to have a run with the AEW Women's Championship somewhere down the line after having put up a stellar performance against Hikaru Shida just last month.
What do you think about WWE's treatment of Tay Conti? Do you think she'll find success in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.