Add as a preferred source on Google Anna Jay and Tay Melo are headed down completely different paths following TayJay’s recent reunion on AEW programming.
During Thursday’s media call to promote AEW Redemption, Tony Khan confirmed that Jay has extended her contract with the company. She’s out of action with a knee injury, though, and underwent an MRI last week.
“Anna is in very good standing with us. Anna is out injured right now. I was hoping to book her in recent weeks and she has an injury. Last week, she was going for an MRI. She is in good standing and has a lot of time left, she’s extended her contract with AEW. She is going to be staying in AEW.”
This news completely changes the narrative from the past few months. In May, Jay herself said her deal was close to expiring, and reports at the time suggested it was expected to run out sometime in spring 2026.
Her last match came on the June 6 episode of AEW Collision, when she and Melo lost to Divine Dominion — Megan Bayne and Lena Kross — in a match for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship.
It was right after that match that Melo approached Khan and asked for her release. The AEW president denied that the request had been made back in 2025, or that the company had kept Melo under contract against her wishes.
“With Tay (Melo), also a lot of inaccurate things I saw about Tay, and to be honest, in this case, there was smoke to the fire but people were reporting the fire in the wrong place, so what does that really accomplish? And with Tay, Tay had said she wanted to step away from wrestling. She has said, ‘I love AEW and I love the people here but I wanted to step away from AEW and step away from wrestling,’ and that’s what she told me. That wasn’t in 2025.
That was weeks ago at Collision after she wrestled against the Divine Dominion, and she came to me after the match, and said, ‘I would like a release,’ and I was taken aback, and we had a very nice talk. It’s far to the contrary of what I’ve seen reported about this being last year or that it’s been an ongoing thing, and I heard from Tay this week and she said she’s not putting those reports out and it really bothered her, and we haven’t had an unpleasant conversation ever.
I’ve always had a very good relationship with Tay, and she has asked about stepping away recently. It hasn’t been a long thing and also, I haven’t kept her here. Since that talk, I haven’t brought her back, booked her, and I am gonna give Tay that release.”
Speaking on Thursday's AEW Redemption media call, Tony Khan said Anna Jay is out injured and went for an MRI last week.
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) July 23, 2026
Khan said Jay is in good standing with AEW and has extended her contract with the company. He added that the situations of Jay and Tay Melo are very different… pic.twitter.com/8erRiQcypl
Melo’s release marks an early termination of her contract, not simply AEW’s decision not to renew her deal. She also plans to step away from professional wrestling.
With that, TayJay is done again, just over two months after their reunion. Jay will remain with the company, though there’s still no timetable for her return to the ring.