QT Marshall's impending AEW departure wasn't a secret internally

Less than 24 hours after announcing he was leaving AEW by year's end, several of the rationales for QT Marshall choosing to depart has emerged. Haus of Wrestling's Nick Hausman reported Tuesday that according to sources close to Marshall, the wrestler's belief is that AEW is moving in a "NJPW-related direction" with more of a focus on in-ring vs. storytelling. If accurate, that would align with Marshall's comment in his announcement that "AEW has changed a lot since 2019 and is heading in a different direction..." Hausman also reported that after Marshall's friend and Nightmare Factory partner Cody Rhodes departed for WWE, Marshall's influence began to "deteriorate quickly" despite his role as a Vice President of Show & Event Coordination. He also wanted to focus more on being an in-ring talent vs. a coach, something he had made known. The main question is where Marshall could be going next. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the situation with Meltzer opining that usua