QT Marshall Opens Up About Why He Briefly Left AEW, Whether He Had Talks With WWE

It wasn't too long ago that QT Marshall appeared out the door at AEW, after announcing he was resigning from the promotion in late 2023. By early 2024, however, Marshall was back with AEW, resuming his post as Vice President of Creative Coordination, though he isn't expected to appear as onscreen talent for AEW going forward. Speaking with "Sportskeeda," Marshall discussed his reasons for leaving AEW, which he confirmed was in part due to him wanting to wrestle more. He also noted other factors, including outside projects, wanting to take a breather from the grind, and looking to not get tied down by a multi-year deal.

"My biggest thing was I just didn't want to sign a long-term contract, that's it," Marshall said. "But, because of that, I had to resign from the job itself...I couldn't do one or the other, so it's like 'Hey, I'm going to resign. I have this idea to do Turnbuckle Wrestling with Teil [Rhodes]...I just have a lot of things I want to do. I just kind of want to relax. I've been on the road five years straight.' 

"I've never publicly stated stuff, but like...man I worked harder than most people at AEW. If that ruffles feathers, I don't care. I did, I busted my butt for them in hopes that maybe it would lead to more in the ring maybe. But they're two separate things, and when we spoke, Tony and I spoke about that, we both were on the same page of...a lot of people think I left because I wanted to become a big star. That's not what it was at all."

Marshall further confirmed that he spoke with several companies before returning to AEW, including with TNA before former President Scott D'Amore's departure, MLW, and even WWE. In regards to the WWE talks, Marshall indicated that things didn't really get far between the two sides, which, along with being comfortable with AEW's inner workings, helped contribute to his decision to go back.

"I mean, when I spoke to them, it was a three, four-minute conversation," Marshall said. "And [Triple] H kind of just asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him what I liked to do, and we never even got past that point. I remember the guy that kind of linked me up with them was like 'Wait, you're already going back to AEW?' I said 'Yeah,' because I understand what I want to do, and what I want to do, even if I was a full-time in-ring talent at WWE, I couldn't do all this stuff.

"Of course, it's everybody's dream to main event WrestleMania, but at the end of the day, that takes a lot of work, a lot of passion, a lot of sacrifice, and so on and so forth. For the other stuff that I want to do, and what I have going on with the school and stuff, I just think this is the best fit for me, unless it's something that comes along, and it's the greatest opportunity, and I can't say no. But ideally, I'm not in that position, so it's not something I think about."

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "Sportskeeda" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription