When news broke that QT Marshall was leaving AEW on the very same day CM Punk was making his WWE Television return to RAW, it turned heads around the professional wrestling business.

Was Marshall, who wasn't working for AEW on a long-term contract, going to jump ship to WWE either as a full-time road producer or as a trainer down in Orlando at the Performance Center? Or would he try to pursue other ventures outside of production after finding some unlikely success as the Lucha Libre AAA Latin American Champion?

While fans won't earn the answer to that question any time soon, as he did just announce his resignation on Monday, Marshall did receive a major endorsement on his way out of the door, as his friend and Nightmare Factory co-owner, Cody Rhodes, complimented him on a job well down in AEW.

“Did the work – was essential in making so many memories for fans & has been so instrumental in helping countless wrestlers,” Cody Rhodes wrote on social media. “A pros' PRO. We almost became friends ha. I can't wait to see what you do next! An OG and outstanding “num 2″ through his tenure. Congratulations QT on the run so far.”

Whoa, QT Marshall to WWE confirmed? I mean, probably not, as by all accounts, Marshall is looking to get more into wrestling, which probably isn't available to him in WWE, but hey, if he does want to get behind the camera once more in the future, he has one heck of a reference from someone who is very well regarded in WWE on his resume.

Dave Meltzer updates fans on QT Marshall's headspace post-AEW.

Speaking of what's next for QT Marshall, Dave Meltzer actually discussed his decision to leave AEW on Wrestling Observer Radio and let it be known that according to the people he's talked to, the decision has more to do with finding more opportunities to wrestle than enjoying than cashing production checks from Titan Towers.

“I know he expressed frustration to a lot of people about that… I have heard from many, many people, some of whom did not know that this was happening, and most of whom did, so it was not a secret,” Dave Meltzer said via WrestleTalk. “Some have known for weeks, some have known for months. People have talked to him. He's expressed his frustrations. There have been things that have happened. QT had a very well-paying job, he was a Vice President of creative and talent. He's no longer doing the formats, but he did those for years. I think there's a lot of things that have been said. One thing with QT, and it's a big one – QT wants to be a wrestling star. And it wasn't gonna happen in AEW. I know he expressed frustration to a lot of people about that – feeling he's had good matches, but he's not been positioned to be a wrestling star there. Of everyone that I heard from, not one had anything bad to say about QT. And most were sympathetic towards him. A lot of talent tweeted it, but a lot of talent privately, very supportive of QT and understanding his position.”

Sharing some exclusive insider information on the situation, WrestlePurist largely backed up Meltzer's reporting, noting that after seemingly finding a home for his act on AEW Collision, Marshall was cut from the show by CM Punk, who didn't appreciate QTV's particular brand of sports entertainment – ironic, I know –  on “his” night of the week. This decision reportedly didn't sit too well with Marshall, who felt as though Khan didn't fight hard enough for him.

“In the early days of AEW Collision, QT Marshall made some appearances on the show in QTV segments. However, QTV's time on Collision did not last long, and according to people in AEW, CM Punk didn't want Marshall to be a part of Collision and didn't see QTV as a productive part of Powerhouse Hobbs' presentation. Tony Khan took the blame/fall for the removal of QTV segments, which ultimately damaged Khan's relationship with Marshall. The relationship was fractured, and Marshall felt that there was a lack of transparency in terms of the reasons why QTV segments were removed from Collision. He was of the belief that CM Punk removed him from the show and didn't believe Tony Khan when he took the fall.”

Could Marshall end up not producing in WWE but instead wrestling for a promotion like TNA, MLW, or even a Mexican brand like CMLL or AAA, where he's had success as both a talent liaison and in-ring contributor? While initially that felt unlikely, the arrow appears to rapidly be pointing in that direction.