Leyla Hirsch Likely Leaving AEW Soon, Contract Set To Expire (AEW News)

"Legit" Leyla Hirsch's contract with AEW and ROH is coming to an end

by Michael Hamflett
Leyla Hirsch
AEW

“Legit” Leyla Hirsch looks set to be finishing up with All Elite Wrestling and Ring Of Honor.

Her run appears to be coming to an end as her contract is set to expire on February 28th. According to PWInsider, Hirsch is not expected to re-sign with the promotion, making her a free agent. It remains unclear whether this was a mutual decision or a one-sided call.

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The 28-year-old first debuted with AEW in October 2020 before officially signing in March 2021. Throughout her tenure, she wrestled 56 matches for AEW, with her last appearance occurring in June 2024 on Collision, where she was on the losing end of a tag team match.

Unfortunately, Hirsch’s AEW run was hampered by injuries, most notably an ACL tear in April 2022 that kept her sidelined for over a year. Upon her return in July 2023, she transitioned into a more prominent role within Ring of Honor, wrestling 37 matches for the brand. Her final match took place at Final Battle in December 2024, where she unsuccessfully challenged Red Velvet for the ROH Women’s TV Championship.

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Born in Moscow, Russia, Hirsch has not yet addressed her free agency on social media. She has remained absent from in-ring competition since the December supercard, leaving speculation open about her next move. With her departure from AEW and ROH, the door is wide open for Hirsch to explore new opportunities in professional wrestling. Whether she opts for a return to the independent circuit, a potential WWE tryout, or an international stint, fans will be eager to see where she lands next.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett