Although she has only been involved in professional wrestling since 2016, Tay Melo has shown fans why she is one of the most promising stars in the industry. having been signed to AEW since 2020, he has already had some very memorable and classic matches in the promotion. He has excelled in individual action with his martial arts style and also in his team with Anna Jay. Additionally, she is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society, along with Jay and her real-life husband, Sammy Guevara. Unfortunately though, Melo was recently sidelined from AEW television due to an injury that kept her out of the ring.
Tay Melo has been out of action due to a bulge in his back
The reason for Melo’s absence from AEW has been due to a back injury that has affected her for several years. As she told Elite POV (h/t Fightful), “I have a bulge in my back, so it’s something I’ve been dealing with for over 10 years.” Even before participating in a street fight where she and Jay faced off against Ruby Soho and Willow Nightingale on the January 11, 2023 edition of Rampage, she was in a lot of pain. She said: “I’ll never say no, let me tell you, unless I’m really dying. I was like, I’m in pain, I knew I was in pain. The day before, let me tell you, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t walk. At the airport, the walk was so long that we had to get me a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk very long. It was really bad.”
However, Melo also revealed good news in this interview regarding his state of health. She said that she was only weeks away from being cleared to compete. She said: “…after the match, I checked everything. I went to a couple of different doctors and our doctor at AEW. So I’m not authorized right now, but I will be very soon. I’m fine, do not worry. I want to be clarified, but the doctor tries to hold me down. [back] a bit to make sure I’m 100%. They told me they would release me in the next two weeks, so I’ll be fine.”
Tay Melo has accomplished a lot in AEW
Melo has been with AEW since signing with the company on September 9, 2020, after she first debuted as part of the Women’s Deadly Draw Tag Team Cup Tournament. Since then, she had aligned herself with Anna Jay and was also an affiliate of the Dark Order, but never an official member. Melo constantly showed how talented hers was, picking up numerous wins in her first run in AEW. This included championship matches with Serena Deeb for the NWA World Women’s Title and the AEW World Women’s Championship against Hikaru Shida.
He was also involved in many more memorable matches as his AEW career progressed. At Full Gear 2021, she faced Dr. Britt Baker, DMD for the AEW Women’s World Title, but was unsuccessful. Also, she and Jay had a brutal and intense rivalry against Penelope Ford and The Bunny. This culminated in a phenomenal street fight at New Year’s Smash 2021 in Rampage. She also faced Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship at Revolution 2022.
In 2022, Melo and Guevara participated in a show against the Men of the Year and Paige VanZant. The duo also became AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champions. Melo also turned heel for the first time in her AEW career, aligning herself with Guevara in JAS. Eventually, he also convinced Jay to join her in her faction. Melo feuded with Soho during this period, ultimately resulting in the street between TayJay AS and Soho and Nightingale on Rampage. This was the last televised match of hers before she took time to heal.
Tay Melo still has a lot to achieve in AEW
During his time at AEW, Melo has shown how much he has grown and evolved in the ring. He has faced some of the best in AEW and has put on some fantastic matches. While a grueling back injury has been a problem for her for years and has put her out of action for some time, she has also given a timeline in which fans can expect her to return from it.
The most important thing, for any wrestler, is to make sure he’s okay and ready before stepping back into the ring. Building off of what Melo has already done in AEW, fans can expect even more great matches from her in the future when he returns in the future.