AEW Veteran’s Exit Led To Special Deal With Tony Khan

One long-time AEW star has explained the deal they struck with Tony Khan.

AEW has seen some high-profile exits during its six years in business, perhaps none bigger than Cody Rhodes leaving the company that he helped found in 2022. What wasn’t as surprising following Rhodes’ exit was the departure of his close friend and business partner, QT Marshall.

Many expected Marshall to end up with a backstage role in WWE, but instead, he ended up back where he started in AEW.

Speaking to Denise Salcedo, QT Marshall explained the deal he struck with Tony Khan for his return, and it involved Marshall not having to worry about being a wrestler on the shows:

You know, in 2023, I left AEW, right? And there were a lot of reasons that people thought. And mainly the main reason was that I just wasn’t happy. I had to figure out what was going to make me happy. And honestly, what made me happy was not having to—for me, it was not having to come to work every week with my gear bag, wondering what could happen.

So when I spoke to Tony afterwards, you know, we decided like, ‘Hey, I’m just not going to wrestle.’ And I was like, ‘Great. I can come there with a backpack. I don’t have to worry. I just worry about the office work.’ I don’t have to stress about, you know, if you need someone for match number three or whatever. And I know I’m a great guy to do it—now I don’t have to say, ‘Oh, that could be me.’

And then if he says no, then I get, you know, in my feelings and so on and so forth. It’s not worth it. So it’s much easier for me to just go to work with a backpack and, you know, help him put on the best show possible. And for me, like I said, that made me very happy. And it was a very easy decision for me.

Since his return to the company, Marshall has still competed in the ring on a handful of occasions, including a bout with Big Boom AJ of The Costco Guys and one with WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett.