It looks like the wrestling world is becoming more open than ever, with independent wrestlers moving between big companies more freely. That became more evident when Emily Jaye appeared in two major places within days- first backstage at WWE WrestleMania 42, and then on AEW Dynamite.
Jaye has been building her name on the independent scene. She has worked in places like New Jersey and North Carolina and has also appeared in Ring of Honor under the name Emily Hail, where she teamed with Brittany Jade.
Jaye is also the first PWJ Women’s Champion. She had trained at the Flatbacks wrestling school, run by Tyler Breeze and Shawn Spears. Over time, she has faced well-known names like Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez.
Emily Jaye moves from WrestleMania 42 backstage role to AEW Dynamite within days
WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas was huge, with big returns, emotional retirements, and title changes across two nights. But behind the scenes, WWE also brought in several independent wrestlers as extras. This is something they often do, just in case they need replacements or extra people for segments.
One of the names backstage included Emily Jaye. Although she didn’t appear on TV, being there still matters. It shows WWE is keeping an eye on rising talent, and these chances can help wrestlers get bigger opportunities later.
During WrestleMania weekend, Jaye stayed busy outside WWE, too. She took part in other shows happening in the same city, including GCW’s “Immortal Clusterf***” and PoderMania.
But Jaye didn’t stay off-screen for long. On the April 29, 2026, episode of AEW Dynamite, she teamed up with Jordan Blade in a tag match against The Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor).
The match was short and one-sided. Blade took most of the early damage, while Hayter and her partner stayed in control. Jaye tried to fight back, but she was quickly taken out with a double-team clothesline. The match ended quickly with The Brawling Birds hitting their finisher, “Two Birds, One Stone,” to win in just over a minute.
Even though she lost, this was still a big moment for Jaye. Even though WWE and AEW are rivals, independent wrestlers often work with both whenever they get the chance.
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