Despite previous frustrations with the company, QT Marshall is on his way back to AEW.
The star was part of the company since its inception, and in addition to being a member of the roster, Marshall was also a part of the production team and trained and scouted multiple stars who are now All Elite. In November of 2023, QT Marshall announced that his time with AEW was coming to an end, and reports soon emerged that he had been frustrated with a number of things about his time in the company.
However, according to a new report from Fightful Select, Marshall’s absence was short-lived and he is on his way back to All Elite Wrestling. The report notes that any previous issues between him and the company have been worked out, and he’ll be returning to the VP role he held previously. However, there are not plans at this time for him to return as an in-ring talent.
Continuing, Fightful Select states that an agreement for him to return has been in place for a couple of weeks, but he has not yet returned to the company.
According to the report, QT Marshall is free to wrestle outside of AEW with the exception of working with WWE. He recently teamed up with Teil Rhodes to revive Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, a creation of Teil’s father Dusty Rhodes. The company held their first event on February 8th.
Elaborating on Marshall’s involvement with the promotion on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Marshall is not back yet but will return soon. Additionally, Marshall’s main responsibilities will be talent development:
“I don’t know if he (QT Marshall)’s back (in AEW) yet, but he’s gonna be starting back. Rocky (Romero)’s role is gonna be talent development, so essentially training wrestlers and working with the younger talent, and also international liaison obviously with New Japan and CMLL.
QT, his key role is going to be talent development as well. Trainer and everything like that. He left December 31, and Tony Khan said if he wants to come back, the door’s open, and I guess he wanted to come back. I know that the idea was he wanted to make it as a main event wrestler and he worked a bunch of indies, but he can still work those indies if he’s coming back for that job. So, starting up soon.”
H/t to Wrestlepurists
Why Did QT Marshall Leave AEW In 2023?
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio in late November, Dave Meltzer shed light on QT Marshall’s exit from All Elite Wrestling, stating:
“QT wants to be a wrestling star. And it wasn’t going to happen in AEW, I know, he expressed frustration to a lot of people about that, you know, feeling, you know, he’s had good matches, but, you know, he’s not been positioned to be a wrestling star there. And I don’t know where he could go. Not only are there a lot of places to go, but he’s 38 years old.
“And, you know, like you said you only got one chance, and if you really want to be a wrestling star, you know, I mean, you can go to AAA, but there’s not any money, you know, there’s not a lot of money there.
“You know, and WWE with Cody. I’d be shocked if there wasn’t at least a push from the Cody standpoint, to get him there. But, you know, whether that happens or not, and he has that thing. Usually when people quit, they have it, you know, but I don’t know that. Like, I don’t know this when people have said to me that, that they don’t know that that’s necessarily the case. But yeah, sure, lots of people are gonna figure that.”
Multiple reports also expressed that factors that may have frustrated Marshall were influenced by things beyond his own control. A report via Haus of Wrestling stated that when Cody Rhodes, who is good friends with Marshall, left AEW for WWE, Marshall’s backstage influence deteriorated quickly.” Furthermore, a report by Wrestle Purists states that Tony Khan and Marshall’s relationship became strained when Khan took the blame for a decision made by CM Punk.