After serving as a central figure in the promotion for its first few years, Britt Baker has disappeared from AEW since late 2024, with no public reasons given for her absence. This has resulted in a great deal of speculation, including that Baker has left or is leaving the company. Appearing on “The Coach and Bro,” Tony Khan was asked to comment on wrestlers being put on the shelf, with Baker and Ricky Saints (formerly known as Ricky Starks) brought up as specific examples.

“Each wrestler is a case-by-case basis, but the people you named I really liked having in AEW, and in Britt’s case she is a part of AEW,” Khan said.

The executive continued by discussing the fact that he has a limited amount of TV time to allocate and there simply isn’t enough to fit everyone. He cited positive fan reception and higher TV ratings as proof that what AEW is currently doing is working, and on top of that, Khan pointed out that injuries can play a major role in storyline directions and usage.

“One of the reasons why you see wrestlers come or leave, a lot of times, is because of injury,” Khan stated. “And then it may take some time to work somebody back in because you’ve got different things going with different wrestlers.”

When host Vince Russo brought up Baker again, Khan clarified that he thought she has brought a lot to AEW and he values her as a performer.

Baker’s last appearance took place on November 13, 2024, when she controversially told fellow AEW star Serena Deeb that the audience didn’t care about her. Prior to that, her appearances had been relatively sporadic, with only five matches through the entire year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Coach and Bro” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

“The Storm” Jade Cargill wants to prove each and every time she’s in the ring why the company did the right thing in choosing her as its WWE Women’s Champion. However, the challengers she tests herself up against have gradually gone from up and coming household names to already over and established immortals, like her upcoming WrestleMania 42 opponent, Rhea “Bloody” Ripley. Despite the excitement surrounding this colossal showdown, “Mami” wasn’t the champion’s first pick to go head-to-head with at this year’s “Showcase of the Immortals.”

“We’ve always teased Charlotte Flair since day one. And every time I had a face-to-face with this girl, we got a huge reaction,” Cargill said in her interview on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” “I’ve had, maybe, two face offs with Rhea. The reaction? It was a total difference in reaction here. I would think that we’ll build more to Rhea ’cause we don’t have history. Not saying Charlotte and I have history, but there’s been more of a reaction with Charlotte and I having attitude and yelling at each other… I think that would have been an easier route. But I believe the reason we went this route is because it’s more money that’s going to be made going against Rhea.”

Before they see each other in Las Vegas next Sunday, Cargill had to get a few last digs in on her opponent, by calling the fifth-ever Women’s Grand Slam Champion a “backed and built talent by WWE.” Regarding “The Queen,” if Cargill remains the champion, she would love to pick up where she and Flair last left off, preferably at SummerSlam in August. These two have been circling one another with tense staredowns since Cargill joined WWE on October 13, 2023.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Joe Budden Podcast.” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman is not only a self-proclaimed pro wrestling prodigy, but his ability has been routinely recognized by veterans. Not too long ago, reports alleged that WWE had interest in signing MJF, and during an interview on “The Adam Friedland Show,” he claimed that the  promotion had interest in him even before AEW started.

“WWE was very interested in me when I was – gosh, I think 21 or 22 at the time – and AEW was just starting out; it wasn’t even a thing yet,” he said. He made his decision after a conversation with Tony Khan, which led MJF to believe that AEW’s idea of professional wrestling aligns more with his own, as opposed to what he expected to find in WWE.

Earlier in the interview, MJF explained that he grew up in and around the “PG” and “Ruthless Aggression” eras of WWE, with the likes of Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Kurt Angle, but he instead gravitated towards the “Golden Era” and its stars like Ric Flair and Roddy Piper. “I fell into, just, a rabbit hole of old school 80s territory wrestling,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool, why can’t it be cool?’ And then AEW came along and I was like: ‘I can make the thing, like, what my vision is for pro wrestling! I’m given the leash to try and throw that out there.’ And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “The Alan Friedland Show,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.