AEW Officially Signs Former WWE Star Tay Conti to Contract

All Elite Wrestling announced Wednesday that it has signed former WWE NXT performer Tay Conti.

Conti was part of the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup last month, teaming with Anna Jay. They defeated Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew in the first round but fell to Ivelisse and Diamante in the semifinals.

The 25-year-old native of Brazil appeared on the Aug. 27 episode of AEW Dynamite in the crowd. Jay extended Conti an invite to join Dark Order, and Conti seemingly accepted.

Conti, who is a black belt in judo, signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2016. Most notably, she was part of both Mae Young Classic tournaments.

Wrestling as Taynara Conti and later just Taynara, she lost to Lacey Evans in the first round of the first Mae Young Classic and beat Jessi Kamea in the first round of the second MYC before falling to Kayden Carter in the second round.

Aside from her Mae Young Classic appearances, Conti wasn't used by WWE with much regularity. Her NXT TV appearances were few and far between, although she was part of the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff Show.

WWE released Conti in April, making her one of several NXT and main roster Superstars who were let go as a cost-cutting measure amid COVID-19.

The women's division is arguably AEW's most glaring weakness aside from a handful of performers, such as Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker and Rose.

With not much standing between Conti and the top of the AEW women's division, she may have a chance to make a far bigger impact in AEW than she ever did as part of the stacked NXT women's division. 

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