Tony Khan Confirms AEW’s Signing Of Ex-WWE Star
Tony Khan has officially confirmed the signing of a former WWE star to AEW.
In October 2025, Zayda Steel, then part of WWE’s ID program, announced that she had decided against re-signing with the company after her contract expired.
Later, reports revealed that All Elite Wrestling had shown an interest in her, but no official deal had been closed between the two parties.
Steel first made her appearance in the company’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor, at Final Battle, where she lost to Leila Grey.
Unfortunately, Grey subsequently got injured and was replaced by Steel alongside Scorpio Sky, Darius Martin, Dante Martin, and Christopher Daniels.
The 22-year-old made her official AEW appearance on Collision last week, where she confronted Marina Shafir after a match featuring Sky Flight against the Death Riders. Following her confrontation, she was taken out by Megan Bayne.
Tony Khan Officially Signs Zayda Steel
On the latest episode of AEW Collision, Zayda Steel faced Marina Shafir in a singles match.
Despite Shafir’s veteran status, Steel managed to go toe-to-toe with the 37-year-old in a hard-hitting battle. Her debut, though, did not get the desired result, as she tapped out to Shafir’s Mother’s Milk submission.
Despite her loss, Tony Khan spoke highly of the young wrestler, reposing trust and confidence in her in-ring abilities. The AEW made the official announcement on X.
She put up a great fight in her AEW debut match on #AEWCollision tonight, and now it’s official:@ZaydaSteel is All Elite! pic.twitter.com/A6SijXTy3A
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 18, 2026
Steel’s debut in the AEW puts her on a path of a fresh start, and backed by Khan, things will start looking up for her soon.