I didn’t bother watching that last Royal Rumble because nothing seemed enticing. The WWE’s recent booking has been worse than stale in that nothing exciting ever happens, the bulk of the stories are reiterations of existing tropes and there really many new interesting people if any at all. I did mention that there’s a huge gap between the top and upcoming groups in terms of experience and those that are over or still have some sort of tie to the old school ways of doing things. Most people believe that the WWE is mostly a self-maintaining machine at this stage where it’s mostly cashing in on its legacy and falling back to proven commodities and a global fanbase. Despite having a huge roster, most shows barely have any matches anymore and we have mostly terrible talking segments filled with advertisements, replays and generally cheap content that gets produced. I think because of these problems some wrestlers are looking at other options.
While I haven’t kept up much with AEW, there have been a few key moves: Tommaso Ciampa and Andrade. When it was rumored that Ciampa wasn’t renewing his contract, it didn’t take long for him to show up in AEW. And Andrade supposedly had a wellness violation that caused him issues with his contract. He did make one initial showing but had a dispute with the WWE over a non-compete clause. Nonetheless, it was odd seeing him return after having an incident with Sammy Guevara. But I think part of the issue was trying to get back to Charlotte, despite their eventual divorce.
Yet AJ Styles did retire at the Royal Rumble, something I did not expect to come this early into the year. AJ Styles is someone who has been around for a while and still is a solid wrestler. He has numerous peers who respect him. But he was injured during a small comeback last year or so were I think he was trying for a major return. Yet his style simply might’ve caught up to him. He has said that he intended to listen to his body and that his wife/family were a huge factor in wanting to retire. At the same time, HHH mentioned he sees great value in using AJ Styles behind the scenes at the WWE.
Despite all that, one might think that there’s still a remote chance he could show up in AEW for a final run. With Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and a few others there from the old TNA as well as an admirer in Tony Khan, it’s fathomable he might try to have a year run for his actual wrestling retirement. I’m not saying that’s for certain but the issue with the WWE has been that once they see a wrestler is past their prime, they start shoving them under the rug until they’re meaningless or worthless. A few still believe they have value like Edge so having a 2nd major option is great for them.
Then today, I read that both Johnny Gargano and his wife Candice LaRae may have decided to not renew their contracts. During the pandemic, both stayed low for a short period, mostly because Candice was having a child. But it was around that period where numerous WWE stars left for AEW. Over time though, the excitement for some of these ex-WWE wrestlers dimmed especially those that didn’t have a big name. Part of the problem is the booking in AEW in how people often lose at the start. So fans of these wrestlers have been taught not to expect much unless those people are close with those at the top or have a huge name (like Edge)
But this got me thinking about the current situation in the WWE and how the stagnation partly is due to how limited people are used compared to the past. Maybe 15-20 years ago, the TV events were still roughly the same time but we would get more matches, albeit shorter. The positive though in those days was being able to see more matches and stars. These days the matches are longer, usually energiless and with plenty of long winded promos and extended entrances that if cut down probably could contribute to 2 more matches per show. Either way, the idea that you have this group of people in their late 30s up to their 40s that still have something they might feel they can contribute being passed up especially as younger talent from NXT make their way to the main roster and get better pushes and more screen time than others who might’ve stayed loyal.
With that idea, I wanted to pose a list of people who might make a reasonable impact in AEW if they decided to switch at this stage.
- AJ Styles – The top of my list. He might not be able to do the same crazy stuff from TNA, but he’s still one of the best wrestlers in the world, maybe even better than his TNA days based on psychology. He would freshen up AEW’s main event scene immediately.
- Finn Balor – It looks like he might be getting a small push but at 44 years of age, the WWE might not put as much stock into him for being a top guy. He’ll be in the upper echelon mix once in a while but you won’t see him get one of the big titles unless a horrible disaster happens. But he would fit in well with AEW.
- Charlotte – Charlotte is moving into the Natalya territory. While he’s still seen as valuable, she’s not going to be the top woman anymore. The only major match she can have that’s meaningful in the WWE is against Jade Cargill but I feel the time might’ve passed where we might get to see it in the way both initially had desired. But having Charlotte in AEW would be a huge get for their women’s division.
- Kevin Owens – I know Kevin had an opportunity to switch and was speculated to be going to AEW at one point a few years ago. However, he said something to the effect of sticking with the WWE for his family. Right now, he’s been out for sometime as a result of a neck surgery. No one has heard when or if he’s coming back. And while he might still get a top spot in the WWE, he’s in his early 40s so that top spot is going to shrink especially with him off TV. While AEW probably would be worse for his health, it does suit his “style” better.
- Sami Zayn – Another guy who is in his early 40s. Top guy, great promo, managed to get over in the WWE. However, he’s hit his ceiling. I think when Jey Uso dropped the title back to Gunther, it removed a small window for Sami to get into a major feud for the title where he could’ve won. Now, he’s in limbo unless they decide to let him and Drew face off at WM rather than Cody and/or Jacob Fatu vs Drew. But if Kevin departs WWE for AEW, I wouldn’t doubt seeing Sami far behind.
- Xavier Woods – I was immensely disappointed when the New New Day’s heel turn went nowhere. At this point, I suspect that the segment with Big E was more to explain why he’d never wrestle again and give the New New Day some heat. Now, both guys are in purgatory. Xavier is 39 but I don’t think he’ll go much further in the WWE. He won’t make a huge difference in AEW but there’s still others that like him over there.
Conversely, here’s a list of people that I think should move to the WWE from AEW:
- Austin/Colton Gunn – Good young tag team. Their ripe for the WWE in terms of age and what they look for.
- Hook – He had a great debut and a few weeks where he showed promise. Then he got over enough to where Tony over eagerly pushed him rather than develop him. He doesn’t show much personality but could be developed in NXT.
- Kyle Fletcher – A lot of people sound high on this guy. He’s young, got size and some talent. But he needs to be produced.
- MJF – Of the AEW four pillars, MJF has the most potential to succeed as his own self in the WWE. He wouldn’t be a big fish in a moderate sized pond anymore but I think he could arrive on the main roster and start earning titles immediately. But his time is ticking and if he wants larger recognition, there’s only one spot he can go.
- Wardlow – Might not be a great choice but he probably hit his ceiling in AEW. Like Hook, he needs to develop but he’ll probably end up being like a more athletic Batista.
- Anna Jay – There’s a rumor that she might not renew her contract which seems surprising to me considering she seems good with the in crowd in AEW. But she does need to be produced to grow.
- Kris Statlander – Maybe a top female acquisition for WWE. Her major issues are lingering injuries. She worked a physical style but doesn’t have good mentors in AEW.
- Jamie Hayter – I’ve mentioned her before because she’s got talent and experience. I think she might prefer the Japanese style but she might want to challenge herself by moving to the WWE. I think she’s an underrated promo that would benefit greatly if she were produced.
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