AEW has quietly trimmed its roster heading into the new year.

A new report from Fightful Select confirms that All Elite Wrestling has parted ways with Matt Taven, Mercedes Martinez, and Alex Abrahantes. The departures are said to be the result of contracts expiring rather than releases, with fans first spotting the changes when all three names disappeared from the AEW website.

Taven’s exit is the most significant from an in ring perspective. A long time cornerstone of Ring of Honor, he arrived in AEW in October 2022 alongside Mike Bennett and quickly became part of the Undisputed Kingdom. During that run, Taven added another ROH World Tag Team Championship reign to his resume, further cementing his status as an ROH Grand Slam Champion. His departure immediately raises questions about what comes next for The Kingdom and where Bennett fits moving forward.

Martinez also moves on after a respected veteran run. She returned to AEW television at the end of 2021 and went on to play a key role in ROH’s women’s division. Her biggest moment came at Supercard of Honor XV, where she defeated Willow Nightingale to unify the ROH Women’s World Championship. Martinez later dropped the title to Athena at Final Battle in December 2022, closing a notable chapter in her AEW and ROH tenure.

Abrahantes has been part of AEW since its early days, initially joining in 2019 as a member of the Spanish commentary team. He later became a familiar on screen presence as the mouthpiece for the Lucha Brothers, translating promos and accompanying them during their World Tag Team Championship success at All Out 2021. In recent years, he shifted into a managerial role for Komander, remaining a steady supporting figure on television.

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