Bully Ray urges Tony Khan to sign released WWE name
Former ECW, TNA and WWE star Bully Ray has urged Tony Khan to sign a WWE talent who was let go as part of the WWE Releases and cuts this past week.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray claimed that Zoey Stark is someone that All Elite Wrestling should be looking to sign when her 90-day clause is up. The main reason for this being that her getting released whilst out with a knee injury is a great way to garner sympathy for her from the off:
“If you’re Tony Khan, and you invite Zoey Stark in, what’s the first thing you allow her to do? Here you go sister, here’s a microphone, you’ve got five minutes. Go tell your story, go make people love you, and if you tell your real story, not only will they love you for your determination, and your passion, and your drive, but they will hate the WWE for letting you go. It’s right there on a silver platter for Tony. You don’t have to do any work. Wait 90 days, sign the girl to a contract, end of story. And Zoey is good in the ring, she’d be good for your women’s division,”
Credit to WrestlingNewsCo for the transcription
Zoey Stark Injury and WWE Release
Stark was still out from a torn ACL, MCL, and Meniscus when her release was announced, which happened during a match on the May 19 episode of Raw in 2025. Our own Bryan Alvarez confirmed that she had been recently cleared for an in-ring return before getting cut from the WWE roster on April 24th just after WrestleMania 42.
FAQs and Context
What injury did Zoey Stark have?
Stark suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus during a match on the May 19th 2025 episode of RAW. The injury kept her on the shelf for nearly a year, with Bryan Alvarez reporting she’d only recently been cleared for an in-ring return before her release was announced.
What is the WWE 90-day non-compete clause?
Released main roster WWE talent are typically held to a 90-day non-compete period before they can sign with another promotion and NXT talent are held to a 30-day. For Stark, that means she wouldn’t be eligible to debut elsewhere until late July 2026 at the earliest.
When could Zoey Stark debut for AEW?
If she did sign with AEW, the earliest she could realistically appear would be after her 90-day clause expires in late July. There’s no current confirmation she’s heading to AEW as Bully Ray’s comments are a pitch, not a report.
Has AEW signed Zoey Stark?
No, and there’s been no announcement from either side. Bully Ray’s Busted Open comments are speculation about what AEW should do, rather than reporting on anything that’s actually in motion.
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