Backstage Update On Daniel Garcia's AEW Contract Status, Potential Interest From WWE

It's been more than a month now since Daniel Garcia suffered a brutal beating at the hands of a newly heel-turned MJF in the closing segment of the July 3 "AEW Dynamite," an act has effectively written Garcia out of AEW storylines for the time being. Shortly before the beat-down, Fightful Select had reported that Garcia's contract was up in the fall, but that he was expected by at least one major AEW talent to re-sign, and it was speculated that he might have done so already. Now, another Fightful Select report indicates the situation is much more unsettled than it had previously appeared.

Fightful is now reporting that despite the optimism expressed by their previous source, Garcia still has not chosen to sign a new deal with Tony Khan's flagship promotion. The report confirms that Garcia has received interest from WWE, for whom he once tried out, while AEW are likewise interested in retaining him. The suggestion seems to be that Garcia hasn't yet decided what he's going to do, and while he mulls it over, the time on his AEW deal continues to tick away, with the contract supposedly up in October.

The news comes while rumors of AEW stars jumping ship to WWE are flying around on seemingly a daily basis, as The Lucha Brothers and Ricky Starks all appear to be trending toward a move that would see them join fellow AEW expatriates like Ethan Page, Jade Cargill, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes. As mentioned by The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez back in July, the manner of Garcia's TV write-off allows him to either return as a vengeful hero or depart as a tragic victim. At this point, Garcia's decision seems to be coming down to the wire.