Ex-AEW Star Leyla Hirsch Offered WWE Tryout... As A Referee (WWE News)

Having departed AEW in February, it looks as if Leyla Hirsch may have an opportunity in WWE, although it's likely not the sort of opportunity most fans of Legit Leyla would've expected.

Per Fightful Select, WWE has reached out to Hirsch about a potential tryout, but that is not in a wrestling capacity. Instead, the market leader has an interest in the 28-year-old trying out as a referee. This report notes that certain WWE sources heard about the company contacting Leyla in mid-June, though there is no word yet on whether she accepted the tryout offer or if the tryout may have even already happened by now.

This isn't the first time that a wrestler has joined WWE to become a referee, with Jessika Carr the most noticeable example. Prior to signing with WWE in 2017, Jess competed on the independent scene as, amongst other names, Kennadi Brink. More recently, mind, she has been able to return to the ring, lacing up her boots as the masked Kalyx for a couple of matches in WWE EVOLVE.

Another example of a wrestler-turned-ref is Eddie Orango, who wrestled as Bandido Jr. in the likes of CZW, GCW, and Jersey Championship Wrestling. Of course, Drake Wuertz was a major player in CZW for the best part of eight years before swapping death matches for the zebra stripes when he joined WWE in 2014 and became Drake Younger. Drake would remain in that role until he was released in 2021.

Elsewhere, Thunder Rosa was at one point in talks with WWE about becoming a referee for them. This happened at a time when, post-Lucha Underground, Rosa was having doubts about her wrestling future, and so reached out to a friend in WWE to see about a refereeing opportunity. While talks progressed well, La Mera Mera was offered the chance to sign with the NWA, which proved a pivotal point in Thunder's career and would lead to her having a solid 271-day run as the NWA Women's World Champion. That in itself proved a launching point for Rosa to land on an even bigger stage, singing with AEW and eventually becoming the AEW Women's Champion.

What Next For Leyla Hirsch?

For what it's worth, your writer is a big fan of Leyla Hirsch's work. With a smashmash style of snug strikes, submission holds, suplexes, and a smidge of high flying, Legit Leyla is always a fun watch.

Having made her in-ring debut in 2017, Hirsch worked for promotions such as CZW, wXw, and STARDOM before first appearing for AEW in late 2020. Despite impressing in her AEW outings, the bulk of Leyla's more recent time under contract there saw her compete on ROH rather than main AEW programming. To highlight that, Hirsch wrestled just four times for AEW in 2024 - all losses - while her final ROH match was a defeat to ROH Women's TV Champion Red Velvet at Final Battle back in December.

Ultimately, Tony Khan opted not to renew Leyla Hirsch's contract earlier this year, with her formally becoming a free agent in February. A cracking outing at Bloodsport XIII over WrestleMania Weekend has been followed by a handful of independent appearances for Leyla, although it now remains to be seen what lies ahead in her future.

Should Leyla Hirsch indeed become a referee for WWE, that's a very solid job with the biggest pro wrestling company on the planet and the potential to eventually work Raws, SmackDowns, and major Premium Live Events down the line should all go well. However, the other side of that coin is obviously that her in-ring career would likely have to be put on pause. Then again, as mentioned, Jessika Carr has managed to somewhat resume her wrestling career this year, albeit in two extremely short matches for EVOLVE.