Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Jordynne Grace, New Level and More

Jordynne Grace has been conspicuously absent from WWE television, and a new report provides the latest update on the former TNA Knockouts Champion.

Also in this collection of insider reports are the latest on New Level's deal with All Elite Wrestling and a shift in perspective within WWE Creative.

What's Up with Jordynne Grace?

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Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful's The Hump (20:35) that there were vignettes filmed this past summer for a new team with Ivy Nile that would have debuted in September and been known as "Iron Built."

He noted that he "has not heard anything else about them coming back to TV."

Sapp noted that Grace is signed through 2029 and that she did not get a new deal after signing with WWE because, "like Joe Hendry, and I can only suspect the others, they were signed above the main roster minimum."

Grace recently competed in a fitness competition, but has been off television since losing to Kiana James on the June 18 episode of Main Event and has not appeared on SmackDown since April 17, when she lost a Women's United States Championship No. 1 contender's match to Tiffany Stratton.

Grace has been woefully underutilized, despite proving her excellence during her run in TNA, where she was a top competitor in the Knockouts division, one of its most decorated wrestlers, and involved in some of that roster's greatest matches.

It remains to be seen whether that tag team with Nile will materialize or if it will be back to the drawing board. For now, her usage in WWE has been a glaring negative for the creative team.

New Level Contract Details

All Elite Wrestling

The New Level is All Elite for the foreseeable future.

Sapp reported to Fightful Select that "Austin Creed and Kofi are under five-year contracts AEW. In addition, the creative was pitched to them well before a deal was nailed down, and the trio with Swerve was one of the opening ideas given to them."

He added, "New Level lost the Trios Titles this past week, which we're told was never meant to be a long-term run."

Austin Creed and Kofi worked with Swerve Strickland because he was a huge part of "bridging the relationship" between AEW and New Level, since "Tony Khan wouldn't speak with them until they were contractually free."

One of the greatest, most decorated tag teams of all time, New Level arrived in AEW with plenty to prove after a lackluster conclusion to their WWE run saw them undergo a heel turn that the creative team fumbled harder than a running back on a rainy day before becoming an afterthought on Monday nights.

Now, with an opportunity to prove they have plenty left between the tropes and from a character standpoint, Creed and Kofi have (at least) five years to rewrite the narrative of the back half of their pro wrestling careers.

Update on Luchadors in WWE

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Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is seriously reconsidering how it presents Mexican wrestlers following the success of the Penta-Roman Reigns match-up on the September 14 episode of Raw.

It is not difficult to see why, though it is something the company should have been taking under consideration long before that.

Penta has been over at a main event-worthy level since he arrived in the company and has checked every box since. That the fans in Mexico were so red-hot and ready to see him win the World Heavyweight Championship was just the latest indicator that there is plenty for the luchadors from Mexico to offer the current day WWE product.

Look no further than the acclaim that AAA under the WWE umbrella has earned. Undertaker and Jeremy Borash have created a tremendous product that has featured some of the best work from any of the company's brand's including an all-timer in El Grande Americano vs. The Original El Grande Americano in a Mask vs. Mask Match.

Recently, Dragon Lee has seen his star shine brighter than before, thanks to a series of matches with Chad Gable and a couple of big wins in singles competition.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of the doors opening for Mexican talent in WWE, where they will have the opportunity to steal shows and become even bigger stars.