Report: AEW Held Talks With Recently Returned WWE Talent

This recent WWE returnee at least held talks with Tony Khan over an AEW move...

Tony Khan Matt Hardy
WWE

Cathy Kelley is back in WWE, having rejoined the promotion she left in February 2020 as part of the market leaders' broadcast team shakeup in early October, assuming a backstage interviewer's role on Raw.

This is Kelley's first wrestling gig since departing WWE prior to the COVID-19 pandemic's global onset. Things may not have turned out this way had talks between the former NXT personality and All Elite Wrestling panned out differently, however.

Fightful Select reports that at one point, Kelley and AEW held talks about Cathy coming in. This included Kelley speaking with company founder and CEO Tony Khan directly.

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While things initially "looked promising", a deal didn't come together. There is currently no word on why this was or how far the talks got before they reached a conclusion.

Kelley was a fundamental component of NXT's broadcasting team while Paul 'Triple H' Levesque served as the brand's Executive Director. Now that Levesque is WWE's head of creative, she is back on company television, though Kelley and AEW remained on good terms following their discussions.

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This story breaks just two weeks after news that WWE had contacted Renee Paquette regarding a potential return to the promotion, only for the Canadian to sign with AEW.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.