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 usually in these situations, a landing spot has already been determined. He said people have said to him that they aren't sure that's the case here.

Meltzer said many people in AEW were aware for months that Marshall was leaving while others didn't although it wasn't because it was a secret. Those who Meltzer communicated with were very positive and sympathetic in their comments for Marshall.

However, despite Marshall's friendship with Rhodes, it's unknown if his next destination is WWE. Hausman reported that those close to Marshall think he would want to be an in-ring performer for WWE vs. a Performance Center coach since he has his school already.

"At the moment, he does not believe that WWE will allow him to wrestle and coach, which he may be open to if it were an option," Hausman wrote.

Meltzer said Marshall "wants to be a wrestling star" which is part of his frustration that he's aired internally. He added that he would be shocked if Rhodes didn't make a push for Marshall within WWE.

Marshall, the former AAA Latin American Champion, wrestled 11 times for AEW and five times for Ring of Honor this year.