During the Redemption PPV media call, AEW President Tony Khan called out inaccurate reports about Tay Melo and Anna Jay, clarifying that the current situations for both stars are completely different.
While rumors suggested both might be leaving the company, Khan explained that Anna Jay is actually taking time off due to an injury. She underwent an MRI last week to check the issue and remains in great standing with AEW management.
On the other hand, Tay Melo (fka Taynara Conti in WWE NXT) is officially on her way out of the company after asking for her release. Khan revealed that Melo wants to step away from professional wrestling altogether, which is why he decided to grant her request. He also corrected online reports about the timing of her decision, noting that she asked to leave just a few weeks ago rather than back in 2025 like many internet sources claimed.
Khan also confirmed that Sammy Guevara&#8217;s (Tay Melo&#8217;s real-life husband) status hasn&#8217;t changed and he&#8217;s still with All Elite Wrestling despite recent rumors.

Tay Melo Is Leaving AEW, Update On Sammy Guevara & Anna Jay’s Status

WWE is putting the final touches on its massive two-night SummerSlam event on August 1st and 2nd, with officials expected to add up to three more matches to the lineup.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the final event card is expected to feature between 12 and 13 total matches spread across both nights.
Behind the scenes, creative plans for the big weekend are still flowing. While management at one point considered having The Vision (Bron Breakker and Austin Theory) put the World Tag Team Titles on the line, WrestleVotes learned that internal discussions have not yet been locked in.

WWE Hasn’t Finalized The Vision’s SummerSlam Match, Plan For Total Number Of Matches

As noted in our previous article, Rhea Ripley&#8217;s injury changed multiple original plans for SummerSlam 2026.
WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reported that Tiffany Stratton was scheduled to defend the Women&#8217;s United States Championship at SummerSlam. However, she will now compete in the Interim WWE Women&#8217;s Title Ladder Match.
In an update from Cory Hays of False Finish, Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Blake Monroe for the Women&#8217;s U.S. Title was the original plan for SummerSlam 2026.

Big Title Match Canceled For SummerSlam 2026

WWE management was far from thrilled with how much the New York Knicks took over the recent Saturday Night&#8217;s Main Event broadcast at Madison Square Garden.
According to a report from WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, top day-to-day decision-makers felt the show relied way too heavily on basketball crossovers, including major on-screen angles featuring NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
While key officials understood why the company wanted to tap into the local hype surrounding the Knicks&#8217; recent NBA Championship win in their home arena, many felt the overall execution crossed the line and took away from the wrestling itself.
The heavy emphasis on basketball created noticeable frustration behind the scenes. Insiders noted the day after the broadcast that several key people working backstage simply are not big sports fans to begin with, making the heavy NBA integration even more unappealing to them.
While the live crowd enjoyed celebrating their local heroes, the internal consensus among WWE decision-makers is that the company went much further with the crossover than most would have liked.

Backstage Frustration Over Saturday Night’s Main Event

A serious knee injury to WWE Women&#8217;s Champion Rhea Ripley has forced management to pull off a massive creative overhaul for SummerSlam 2026. 
After Ripley tore her meniscus, WWE officials strongly urged Mami to take all the time she needs to fully heal instead of rushing back into action for the biggest event of the summer.
WWE feared that pushing her too soon could cause far worse long-term damage, though company sources remain hopeful she can return to action by the fall. In the meantime, WWE will crown an Interim WWE Women&#8217;s Champion in a 5-way Ladder match at SummerSlam.
This unexpected injury has completely altered the match card for multiple top stars. According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the original lineup called for Jade Cargill to face Charlotte Flair, while Tiffany Stratton was set to defend her Women&#8217;s United States Championship in front of her home crowd in Minnesota. 
Instead, Stratton will now step into the Interim Title Ladder match, while the original Cargill vs. Flair showdown has been scrapped as WWE rearranges its women&#8217;s division for the summer.

2 Original SummerSlam Plans Canceled Due To Rhea Ripley’s Injury

As of today, the following 12 recently released WWE wrestlers have become free agents:
&#8211; Aleister Black
&#8211; Zelina Vega
&#8211; Bo Dallas aka Uncle Howdy
&#8211; Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
&#8211; Erick Rowan
&#8211; Kairi Sane
&#8211; Santos Escobar
&#8211; Zoey Stark
&#8211; Nikki Cross
&#8211; Dexter Lumis
&#8211; Joe Gacy

12 Released WWE Wrestlers Became Free Agents Today

After retiring at WrestleMania 35 in 2019, Batista has no plans to return to WWE.
Here&#8217;s what The Animal said during an interview with Cale Owen:
&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to walk away. Most people don&#8217;t walk away. It&#8217;s almost like a running joke when wrestlers retire because they never retire. They retire like five times.
People always thought throughout these years that I would come back, I would come out of retirement. I told them over and over, I had a f**king storybook ending and I won&#8217;t sh*t on it.
I&#8217;ll go and do manual labor before I tarnish that. If I go broke again, I know what it&#8217;s like to be poor. I don&#8217;t like being poor, but I know what it&#8217;s like.
I will go f**king broke and be poor before I ever go back to wrestling. I will never wrestle again.&#8221;

Tay Melo Is Leaving AEW, Update On Sammy Guevara & Anna Jay’s Status

WWE Hasn’t Finalized The Vision’s SummerSlam Match, Plan For Total Number Of Matches

Big Title Match Canceled For SummerSlam 2026

Backstage Frustration Over Saturday Night’s Main Event

2 Original SummerSlam Plans Canceled Due To Rhea Ripley’s Injury

12 Released WWE Wrestlers Became Free Agents Today

“I will go f**king broke and be poor before I ever go back to wrestling” – Batista