A situation involving Nixon Newell (formerly Tegan Nox in WWE) and Miranda Alize reportedly caused significant backstage discussion during the November 8 episode of AEW Collision.
Initial reports from PWInsider claimed that Newell and Alize refused to lose their scheduled match against Anna Jay and Tay Conti. However, Fightful Select has since provided clarification, noting that the issue was not with the planned outcome, but rather with the allotted time for the bout.
According to their report, Newell and Alize requested more than the three minutes that had been planned, but were informed that the show’s timing was already locked in. The two then reportedly left the building roughly an hour before Collision went live.
One AEW staff member told Fightful that both women are “very talented,” and that there had been a genuine effort internally to “help Newell out” after she mentioned struggling to get bookings.
Another source described the situation as disappointing, calling it “out of character” for Newell in particular.
Maya World and Hyan were tapped to replace Newell and Alize on short notice, earning widespread praise backstage for stepping up.
Those close to the situation said both were thrilled by the unexpected opportunity, while others noted that if Newell and Alize had chosen to stay and simply asked AEW to give the spot to other talent, things might have “ended up a lot better.”
Additionally, Fightful reports that this may not have been the first internal issue involving Newell in AEW. Sources pointed to her debut match alongside Alize against Marina Shafir and Megan Bayne, noting conflicting accounts of what occurred behind the scenes.
Some claimed Newell was frustrated with the layout of the match—specifically with Bayne selling for the unsigned duo, as Bayne’s dominant push was still being established. In AEW, such decisions typically require clearance from coaches or producers, especially when working with non-contracted talent.
One longtime friend of Newell suggested that her frustration stemmed from excitement over debuting and disappointment at how quickly things wrapped up. Another noted that Newell seemed to want to “get the match over with” due to how things had gone in planning.
Another source stated that the visible frustration on Megan Bayne’s face during the match was legitimate, pointing to issues with cooperation during certain spots.
Fightful reached out to Nixon Newell for comment. She denied that there had been a disagreement during the previous week’s show, stating, “No, we had no disagreement. Miranda and I are really the only ones that have the details about how yesterday went.”
When Fightful followed up with specifics about the alleged backstage issues, they had not received a response from Newell as of publication.
It was also confirmed that Newell was backstage at AEW Dynamite on November 5, just days before the Collision taping in question.
