Backstage Update On Contract Status Of Former AEW Champ Mariah May

A former AEW Women's World Champion may be set for a big pay raise in the coming months. According to a new report from Fightful Select, the belief within AEW is that Mariah May is nearing the end of her deal, with the current contract set to expire this summer. It is expected that AEW will do all it can to keep May, and it's hard to imagine WWE wouldn't be interested in making an offer, if she became available.

There is a caveat included with the report, which is that May could have option years on her AEW contract. If they are included in her deal, Tony Khan could decide to utilize these option years to keep May around for a longer period of time, possibly at a different pay scale. The report cited an anonymous AEW source who stated they'd be surprised if May's contract did not include option years, as she was heavily pushed on TV despite being on a short-term agreement. Neither AEW nor May offered any official comment on the matter.

Up until AEW Revolution earlier this month, May had been the AEW Women's World Champion. Her loss there served as the culmination of a long-term story pitting her against "Timeless" Toni Storm, and May hasn't been seen on TV since Revolution on March 9.

After a highly-acclaimed run in STARDOM, May signed with AEW in November 2023, and her storyline with Storm began almost right away. The younger wrestler initially served as Storm's fan and protege before eventually turning on her mentor after winning last year's Owen Hart Cup. This led to an AEW Women's World Championship match in August at AEW All In, which May won. However, Storm returned in the latter stage of 2024, with their feud climaxing at Revolution.