Blake Monroe Addresses AEW Departure, Explains Decision To Join WWE

NXT star Blake Monroe, fka Mariah May, has explained her decision to join WWE following her AEW contract expiring.

With Mariah May featured prominently in AEW ahead of her departure from the company in May, there had been a lot of speculation about her next move, ahead of her WWE debut on the June 3 NXT episode.

Speaking with Busted Open, Monroe explained her thought process as her AEW contract was coming to an end, saying:

“I had a fantastic experience and I did things I’m so proud of and cherish. I had a really short contract and when it came to an end… You know, there were positives and negatives, but it got to a point with wrestling where I did have an amazing story, but that was the one thing I had, I didn’t have much else.

“I just thought, is this everything that I want? I also considered going to Japan, which I feel like nobody knows, that’s something I talked to them about.”

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Monroe recalled speaking with WWE after her contract expired, continuing:

“When my deal was up, people were like ‘just talk to WWE and just see.’ I wasn’t considering it, that’s not an insult to WWE, it’s incredible, I always just try to focus on one thing at a time in wrestling, so I hadn’t considered it.

“When I talked to them, they cared so much about the Glamour and so much about all these different things, I was like ‘Okay, I do have a big choice to make.'”

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Explaining why she chose to make the jump to WWE instead of signing a new deal with AEW, Monroe concluded:

“I really sat and thought about it, and it was a really, really tough decision, but it just came down to, I did everything I needed to do.

“I feel like I told a great story, I feel like I made people feel something, and it’s time to close that chapter and it’s time to start a new one, getting a new name, and a whole new experience.

“There are so many women here, like women’s wrestling is very important in WWE. That’s something, as a woman, I want to be a part of.

“Like I said, all these different matches and possibilities, for me it was just a great deal, and it was just a challenge, I want a challenge.”

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Blake Monroe last wrestled at NXT No Mercy on September 27, losing to Jordynne Grace in a Weaponised Steel Cage match.

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