Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Jordynne Grace, The New Level and More

Jordynne Grace has been conspicuously absent from WWE television, and a new report provides the latest update on the former TNA Knockouts champion.

Also in this collection of insider reports is the latest on The New Level's deal with All Elite Wrestling and a shift in perspective within WWE Creative.

Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful's The Hump (20:35) that vignettes were filmed this past summer for a proposed tag team pairing Jordynne Grace with Ivy Nile, to be known as "Iron Built." The tentative plan was for the pair to return to television in late September.

He noted that he "has not heard anything else about them coming back to TV."

Sapp also reported that Grace is signed through 2029 and did not receive a new deal when she moved to the main roster because her original contract already paid above the main roster minimum, as Joe Hendry's did.

Grace recently competed in a fitness competition, but she has been off television since losing to Kiana James on the June 18 episode of Main Event and has not appeared on SmackDown since April 17, when she lost a Women's United States Championship No. 1 Contender's match to Tiffany Stratton.

Grace has been woefully underutilized, despite proving her excellence during her run in TNA, where she was a top competitor in the Knockouts division, one of its most decorated wrestlers and involved in some of that roster's greatest matches.

It remains to be seen whether that tag team with Nile will materialize or if it will be back to the drawing board. For now, Grace's usage in WWE has been a glaring negative for the creative team.

The New Level is All Elite for the foreseeable future.

Sapp reported to Fightful Select that "Austin Creed and Kofi are under five-year contracts with AEW. In addition, the creative was pitched to them well before a deal was nailed down, and the trio with Swerve was one of the opening ideas given to them."

He added: "New Level lost the Trios titles this past week, which we're told was never meant to be a long-term run."

Austin Creed and Kofi worked with Swerve Strickland because he was a huge part of "bridging the relationship" between All Elite Wrestling and The New Level, since "Tony Khan wouldn't speak with them until they were contractually free."

One of the greatest, most decorated tag teams of all time, The New Level arrived in AEW with plenty to prove after a lackluster conclusion to their WWE run saw them undergo a heel turn that the creative team fumbled harder than a running back on a rainy day before becoming an afterthought on Monday nights.

Now, with an opportunity to prove they have plenty left between the ropes and from a character standpoint, Creed and Kofi have (at least) five years to rewrite the narrative of the back half of their pro wrestling careers.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is seriously reconsidering how it presents Mexican wrestlers following the success of the Penta-Roman Reigns matchup on the September 14 episode of Raw.

It is not difficult to see why, though it is something the company should have been taking under consideration long before that.

Penta has been over at a main event-worthy level since he arrived in the company and has checked every box since. That the fans in Mexico were so red hot and ready to see him win the World Heavyweight Championship was just the latest indicator that there is plenty for the luchadors from Mexico to offer the current-day WWE product.

Look no further than the acclaim AAA has earned under the WWE umbrella. Mark Calaway (The Undertaker) and Jeremy Borash have helped deliver a tremendous product featuring some of the best work across WWE's brands, including an all-time classic Mask vs. Mask match between El Grande Americano and The Original El Grande Americano.

Recently, Dragon Lee has seen his star shine brighter than before, thanks to a series of matches with Chad Gable and a couple of big wins in singles competition.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of the doors opening for Mexican talent in WWE, where they will have the opportunity to steal shows and become even bigger stars.