Why did potential WWE star Kylie Rae quit AEW?

Kylie Rae is one of the performers that the Stamford-based promotion has eyed recently and was given a chance to try out for the company. However, some fans are already familiar with the star since she previously spent some time in AEW.

After competing on the independent circuit for a few years, Rae joined the roster of All Elite Wrestling in early 2019. She debuted at the promotion's inaugural event in a four-way match against Britt Baker, Awesome Kong, and Nyla Rose. Although she lost the bout, her performance impressed fans and other professionals.

After missing out on another AEW event in late June of that same year, Tony Khan revealed during a media scrum in September that he granted her request to leave the company.

Since Kylie Rae's reason for exit was never revealed, rumors spread quickly, with one of them even suggesting that Brandi Rhodes "bullied" her out of the company, which the former quickly denied.

Kylie Rae later revealed on social media that she left AEW for personal reasons and wanted to focus on herself. In the now-deleted Instagram post, she also clarified that nobody made her quit the Jacksonville-based promotion.

"I don't know many rumors and honestly try to stay away from everything (...) But here: nobody made me leave (...) I needed to get my mind, body, and soul right with God. I wish I had the answers but the truth is I don't. We all go through obstacles in life and we may want all the answers but we don't need them. It's God's plan and he has shown me what's truly important in life and to find a blessing in every moment because in the blink of an eye, everything can be gone."

Kylie Rae briefly retired from professional wrestling in November 2020 to focus on herself. Fortunately, she returned to action in July 2021, competing for the NWA and Freelance Wrestling.

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Kylie Rae recently made her WWE debut with a different name

Most independent wrestlers and even some NXT stars undergo name changes when they start performing for the Stamford-based promotion. The list includes Seth Rollins, Butch, Gunther, Kevin Owens, and Kylie Rae, among others.

In a recent WWE Main Event episode, the former AEW star appeared as Briana Ray, a name much more similar to her real name Briana Rae Sparrey. Unfortunately, her first match didn't go as planned for the newly added superstar because she lost to Dana Brooke.

It will be interesting to see what kind of addition the 30-year-old might bring to the women's division of WWE.