WWE has signed several former AEW stars, but not many had tried out as a referee.
According to Fightful (via Fightful Select), former AEW star Leyla Hirsch recently had an offer for a tryout as a referee with WWE. Leyla left All Elite Wrestling after her contract expired earlier this year. She has since made a couple of independent appearances, including a match at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII.
Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp later updated the initial story. He clarified that it was Hirsch who reached out to WWE about the role. The tryout was approved after Hirsch made contact. According to sources, Hirsch reached out in June, but Fightful was not able to confirm if the tryout already happened.
“Sources within WWE tell Fightful that they reached out to Leyla Hirsch about a potential tryout with the company as a referee. We’re told that some in WWE had heard bout the communication in mid-June, but we haven’t learned if it was accepted or if the tryout has already happened.”
Leyla Hirsch made her AEW debut in October 2020. There, she lost to Hikaru Shida on an episode of AEW Dark. However, her AEW run was marred by injuries. This led Tony Khan to feature her primarily on Ring of Honor in 2023 and 2024. She remained with the promotion until her exit from the company in February 2025.
Hirsch might be looking to join WWE in a new role, but it doesn’t mean the end of her in-ring career. It’s worth noting that Jessika Carr joined WWE as a referee. However, she started wrestling again as Kalyx on the EVOLVE brand this year.
