Three departures from AEW roster
The beginning of 2026 has seen three names depart the AEW roster.
Matt Taven, Mercedes Martinez, and Alex Abrahantes are no longer listed on the AEW roster page as of today (January 5), and Fightful confirmed that all three have departed the promotion. Martinez had already indicated that she was no longer with AEW while announcing last week that 2026 would be her final year as a full-time active wrestler.
Martinez noted that she would have “no contracts” in 2026 and would be dedicating the year to competing on the indies. She is aiming to give back to the younger generation by passing on everything she’s learned. A veteran wrestler who also has experience in WWE, Martinez signed with AEW in 2021 but has not wrestled for the company in some time.
Taven is a former ROH World Champion and ROH Tag Team Champion. One of the top stars in ROH at the end of the Sinclair Broadcast Group era, he continued to be featured on the ROH brand after signing with AEW in 2022.
As of now, Mike Bennett — Taven’s tag team partner in The Kingdom — is still on the AEW roster page.
A member of the Spanish-language broadcast team while with AEW, Abrahantes was an on-screen character as a manager to The Lucha Bros and Komander.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.