Taya Valkyrie Announces AEW Departure, Says She Turned Down Contract Extension
After more than three years of working with AEW, Taya Valkyrie is deciding to explore her options outside of the promotion. Taking to X at exactly noon on Wednesday, Valkyrie posted a tweet saying "Thank you AEW," accompanied by a lengthy press release, announcing that she was leaving the promotion, and that she had rejected an extension offer from AEW in order to stay. Despite that, Valkyrie had nothing negative to say about AEW in an accompanying statement.
💛 Thank you @AEW pic.twitter.com/9pgP3EEObz
— TAYA VALKYRIE (@thetayavalkyrie) November 4, 2026
"I am incredibly grateful for my time with AEW and the opportunity to be part of the organization," Valkyrie said. "While there, I wrestled and worked alongside exceptional talent, and built lasting relationships with the AEW family and deepened my relationships in the wrestling community. I am beyond thankful to the fans for their continued support of me, not only in my time with AEW but also as I step into this new chapter as a free agent. I can't wait for what's to come and have a lot more to leave in the ring. With my contract now concluded, I'm excited to explore new opportunities and possibilities as a wrestler, TV personality, and creative."
A sixteen year veteran, Valkyrie has worked for nearly every major promotion across the globe, including AAA, CMLL, Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor, TNA, and WWE, where she briefly competed as Franky Monet. Her biggest success came with AAA, where she's tied with Faby Apache for most reigns as AAA Reina de Reinas Champion in history, and TNA, where she held the Knockouts Championship and the Knockouts Tag Team Championships twice, with Rosemary and Jessicka Havoc respectively.
Valkyrie debuted for AEW in March 2023 as a rival for then TBS Champion Jade Cargill. She would later become more known for her time in ROH, where she aligned with real life husband Johnny TV, and for their YouTube series "Johnny Loves Taya." Valkyrie had been absent from both AEW and ROH for most of 2026, having taken time off to participate in "The Traitors: Canada" reality series.