Mariah May is officially a WWE superstar. Former AEW women’s world champion May debuted on Tuesday’s episode of NXT, confirming speculation that she left All Elite Wrestling to sign with WWE.
May’s debut came amid turmoil over who would challenge NXT women’s champion Jacy Jayne. The lights cut out in the arena during a multi-woman brawl before a spotlight shined on May standing on a balcony.
“I have finally arrived!” May exclaimed as the crowd cheered. “Ladies, you can call me the NXT women’s champion because the best women’s division in the world just got a lot more glamorous.”
May is the latest AEW talent to land in NXT, joining reigning NXT North American champion Ethan Page and former North American champion Ricky Saints. Notably, the NXT commentators did not identify May by name. They took similar action when Saints, known formerly as Ricky Starks, debuted.
May is considered one of the most promising women’s pro wrestlers around. The 26-year-old signed with AEW in 2023 after cutting her teeth in Japan’s Stardom promotion and on the regional scene. Within a year, May won AEW’s annual Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. She subsequently beat “Timeless” Toni Storm, her former mentor, in front of a reported 46,000 fans at All In to become AEW women’s world champion.
May’s final AEW appearance was at March’s Revolution pay-per-view. May failed to regain the women’s world title from Storm in a physically brutal and critically acclaimed match dubbed the “Hollywood Ending.”
Her NXT signing helps fill out the developmental brand’s women’s division after former champions Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia and Roxanne Perez were called up to the main roster after WrestleMania.
