Former WWE Superstar Rumored To Be Signing With AEW

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 11: A WWE logo is shown on a screen before a WWE news conference at T-Mobile Arena on October 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was announced that WWE wrestler Braun Strowman will face heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury and WWE champion Brock Lesnar will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at the WWE's Crown Jewel event at Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Getty ImagesMara Sade, formerly known as Jakara Jackson, is out of TNA. Like many performers who depart WWE/TNA, there are rumors she is headed to AEW. Let's talk wrestling.

Key Facts at a GlanceWhere things stand:

Performer: Mara Sade, 31, previously Jakara Jackson in WWE • >Status: Free agent. TNA confirmed her departure August 3 • >Reported destination: AEW, per Fightful Select and PWInsider • >Confirmation level: Rumor. No contract announced, no start date • >Also departing TNA: Jody ThreatWho Is Mara Sade?LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 19: Jakara Jackson attends WrestleMania After Dark Las Vegas at LIV Nightclub at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Getty ImagesSade debuted for WWE NXT in August 2022 under the name Jakara Jackson. Her most visible stretch came as part of The Meta-Four alongside Lash Legend, Noam Dar and Oro Mensah, a group formed at NXT Battleground in 2023.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">She and Legend challenged Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship on a 2024 SmackDown, which stands as her only main-roster title opportunity.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">WWE released her in 2025. She signed with TNA later that year, debuting as a surprise partner for The IInspiration.

Why Did Mara Sade Leave TNA?Her contract expired and was not renewed. TNA confirmed the exit in a press release on August 3, announcing Sade and Jody Threat together while teasing a former titleholder returning to the Knockouts division.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">That couldn’t have sat well with Sade and Threat, but it’s business. Still, the circumstances read as cooperative rather than contentious.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Fightful reports TNA raised its offer trying to keep her, and that she worked last week's Philadelphia tapings without a contract in place, losing to Heather By Elegance in a Knockouts Television Championship tournament quarterfinal that has not yet aired.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Multiple outlets describe the split as fully amicable. That could bode well for Sade’s potential return. WWE has reportedly maintained interest in bringing her back since the release. Whether that ever became a formal offer is unclear.

Is Mara Sade Going To AEW?That is the expectation, not the announcement. Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp reported that sources inside both TNA and AEW believe she ends up there, and PWInsider reached the same conclusion independently.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">One detail gives the reporting weight beyond the usual free-agency chatter: the move would reunite her with Kevin Knight, her partner, who currently holds the AEW TNT Championship. We’ve seen that circumstance lead to roster changes across the industry.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Roster movement in both directions has been constant this year, from The New Day's exit to a former champion reportedly leaving after rejecting a new deal to the April release of 11 former champions.

What Would An AEW Run Look Like For Mara Sade?AEW's penchant for hunting former WWE Superstars seems to fall flat more than it works. If you look at most of the performers who have landed with AEW after leaving WWE, it seems there are more Rusev and PAC situations than there are Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli. In any case, perhaps Sade will be one of the positive examples. She never quite found her lane with WWE or TNA.

class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">The Knockouts tournament run suggested TNA was finally building toward something with her, but even that fell through. AEW would be starting that process over.

>This article was originally published on Forbes.com