Top AEW star almost derailed wrestling career ahead of signing with Tony Khan

AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter recently opened up about her struggles before signing with the promotion. She provided details on the circumstances that nearly ended her wrestling career.

Hayter might have made her All Elite Wrestling debut back in 2019, but the star quickly returned to Japan. The 27-year-old would eventually return in August 2021 and aligned herself with Britt Baker, where she would win over the crowd.

During a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the champion revealed that she was essentially left homeless after her stint in Japan failed.

“There was no work in Japan. I left, but I didn’t have anywhere to live. I remember saying, ‘Holy s**t, I’m homeless!' I had nowhere to go and no idea what I was going to do. Fortunately, I stayed with my friends and lived on their couch."

Hayter continued, detailing that she shared a bunkhouse with Toni Storm, while she contemplated never wrestling again.

“There were five of us living there, and they had a gym in their garage, which was a godsend. I thought I was never going to wrestle again. Toni Storm was in a similar situation, and she stayed there, too.” (H/T: SportsIllustrated).

While Hayter is yet to defend the AEW Women's World Championship, she might just face her first major opponent soon, as Saraya has teased going after her.

Missed out on AEW Dynamite? Catch up on the show's results here.

---

Jim Cornette believes that Tony Khan has buyer's remorse for signing Saraya to AEW while he already had Jamie Hayter

Saraya's AEW run has already faced quite a lot of criticism online. Many believe both her first-ever Dynamite promo and even her return match against Britt Baker were underwhelming. Unlike Hayter, the former WWE Divas Champion is having a hard time with the All Elite Wrestling fanbase.

During an episode of Jim Cornette Experience, the former wrestling manager analyzed Hayter's match against Toni Storm at AEW Full Gear.

"And Jamie Hayter wins 1-2-3 and they loved it. And then right then Tony Khan had to be sitting at the f**king gorilla position looking at the monitor going ‘my god how much did I just spend for Saraya? And this girl was already on the roster.'" (03:30:05 onward).

It remains to be seen what the booking for Hayter will end up looking like, but so far fans have criticized the runs of former Women's Champions Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm.

Will Jamie Hayter be the one to finally change the consensus around the Women's Division, or will she also lose the love of the fanbase?