Former AEW Women’s World Champion Blake Monroe — formerly known as Mariah May — has shed light on her decision to depart AEW and sign with WWE, describing the move as a necessary next step in her career. Speaking with Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio, Monroe explained that while she cherished her time in AEW, she felt she had reached the peak of her story there and was ready for a fresh challenge.
“I had a fantastic experience and I did things that I’m so proud of and cherish,” Monroe said. “I had a really short contract and when it came to an end, there were positives and negatives. It got to the point in wrestling where I did have an amazing story, but that was the one thing. I didn’t have much else. I just thought, ‘Is this everything I want?’”
Monroe’s AEW run was a rapid success story. Signed in 2023, she was immediately placed in a high-profile storyline as the protégé of “Timeless” Toni Storm. The angle became one of AEW’s most talked-about storylines, culminating with Monroe defeating Storm to win the AEW Women’s World Championship. Her final AEW appearance came at Revolution, where she dropped the title back to Storm in a “Hollywood Ending” match.
The British star revealed that she weighed several options before committing to WWE — including a potential return to Japan, where she previously starred in STARDOM. “I also considered going to Japan, which nobody knows. It’s something I talked to them about,” she revealed. It wasn’t until after her AEW deal ended that WWE entered the conversation, and the company’s enthusiasm for her “Glamour” persona became a deciding factor.
“When I talked to them, they cared so much about The Glamour and all these different things. I was like, ‘Okay, now I do have a big choice to make.’ I sat and thought about it. It was a really tough decision,” Monroe said.
Ultimately, the chance to reinvent herself and compete in WWE’s stacked women’s division proved irresistible. “It just came down to, I did everything I needed to do. I feel like I told a great story, and I made people feel something, and it’s time to close that chapter and start a new one,” she added. “Getting a new name and a whole new experience. There are so many women here. Women’s wrestling is very important in WWE. As a woman, that’s something I want to be a part of. All these different matches and possibilities, to me, it was a great deal. It was a challenge, and I want a challenge.”
Since joining NXT in June, Monroe has been presented as a top star, with WWE positioning her as one of the future cornerstones of its women’s division.
