Since Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE, the new creative regime under Triple H has signed many wrestlers to augment the Raw and SmackDown rosters. However, all of these signings have been of former WWE stars, most of whom were released by the previous regime during the pandemic, such as Braun Strowman, Hit Row, and Dexter Lumis, just to name a few.
With Triple H now bringing nearly every former WWE free agent back to his promotion, it may be time for him to look across the river for potential WWE signings. All elite wrestling. With the Jacksonville-based promotion now about four years old, it’s obvious that a number of wrestlers have left and moved on to other promotions. The greatest example of this is the company’s own founder, Cody Rhodes, who made his triumphant return to WWE in WrestleMania 38. With a former executive vice president of Tony Khan’s company already under contract now, WWE should look to sign these other former AEW wrestlers.
10/10 bobby fish
Fish was released by WWE on August 6, 2021 and joined AEW exactly 2 months later, when he unsuccessfully challenged Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship. Later that night it was announced that Fish had officially signed on with the company. The former NXT Tag Team Champion would soon be paired with Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and the Young Bucks as part of the “Undisputed Elite” faction.
However, following Cole’s and O’Reilly’s respective injuries, Fish stopped appearing on AEW programming. On August 31, 2022, his contract with the company expired. Fish would later begin appearing for Impact Wrestling, but only in a handshake deal. With his experience, Fish can serve as a great trainer for the younger wrestlers in NXT. Also, it would make a lot of sense to pair Fish with Roderick Strong again and make the duo part of the main roster tag division as the “Undisputed Era.”
9/10 alan angeles
Alan Angels began wrestling for AEW during the early days of the pandemic, and would soon find himself recruited into the Dark Order faction by the late Mr. Brodie Lee. Even though Angels had two amazing fights with Kenny Omega, he was always seen as a lower midfielder in the promotion and therefore decided not to renew his contract with AEW.
Since then, Angels has worked with multiple promotions such as Impact Wrestling and NJPW Strong, but has not signed a contract with any of them. Considering his excellent work in the ring and the fact that he is only 24 years old, Angels is a prime candidate to be signed by WWE to NXT. Furthermore, he has always shown promising signs of promotion in his time on Being the Elite, a skill he can certainly improve over time.
8/10 kilynn king
Like Angels, KiLynn King would start appearing regularly for AEW during the early days of the pandemic. He would soon become a major staple of AEW Dark due to his feuds with Riho and Britt Baker. By the end of 2021, King would be winning most of his matches in the promotion. However, he stopped appearing regularly for the company in early 2022 and instead worked on the independent and NWA scene.
King is only 26 years old and possessing great in-ring skills and character presentation, she has everything WWE would want from a new member. In her time with AEW and NWA, King has shown that she has the tools to be a major player not just in NXT, but even on the main roster.
7/10 robert antonio
Robert Anthony, known to many fans as Egotistico Fantastico, has been a major staple of the independent wrestling scene for the first decade and a half of the 21st century, wrestling in promotions like CZW and ROH. Anthony would later move away from wrestling full time and become an elementary school teacher.
However, during the pandemic, Anthony would begin what he called his “Wrestling Vacation” by appearing regularly on AEW Dark. He would then face his old friend and later AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in what was a critically acclaimed match on the May 28, 2020 edition of AEW Dark. Anthony, 40, still wrestles semi-regularly and is the reigning NWA National Champion. Not only would he be a great trainer for NXT, but he’s still able to have amazing matches from time to time with the current roster, similar to how Chris Hero used to.
6/10 Terrell Hughes and Terrence Hughes (TNT)
Terrell Hughes and Terrence Hughes, collectively known as TNT, are the twin sons of WWE Hall of Famer and ECW legend D-Von Dudley. The 27-year-old duo appeared multiple times for AEW, wrestling on Dark in late 2020 and early 2021.
Terrell and Terrence, while a little green in the ring, have shown potential as a team that can be taken to another level by the WWE Performance Center. Additionally, WWE owns the trademark with the last name “Dudley,” giving them the opportunity to rename the young duo and introduce them as the newest members of the Dudley clan, along with their father D-Von, who is working on a role behind the scenes in the company.
5/10 mess fever
Lio Rush may become one of the strangest AEW signings in the company’s young history. The high-flying sensation made his first appearance in the promotion as the Joker’s contestant in the Casino Battle Royal in Double or nothing 2021 but was eliminated before long by Matt Hardy. He would soon announce his retirement from professional wrestling, but would eventually get it back and sign with Tony Khan’s company on September 29, 2021. He would, however, leave the company on February 14, 2022, after his contract expired.
Lio then got injured and has now returned, wrestling for GCW and Rev Pro.
Although Rush’s first run with WWE was not very successful, one of the main reasons had to be the creative direction of the previous regime, which saw Rush bogged down in managerial gimmicks. At only 28 years old and with a lot of experience, he will fit like a glove in the new direction of the company.
4/10 danny center of attention
Danny Limelight would begin appearing for AEW in November 2020, wrestling on Dark. He would, before long, become the franchise’s wrestler for both Dark and Elevation, and his match with Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Dark Elevation was considered by many to be the best match on the YouTube show.
Danny was offered a full-time contract with AEW in the summer of 2021, but opted to sign with MLW, where he was paired with Konnan and his team to form the LAX faction 5150, a spin-off of the LAX stable on Impact Wrestling. . . Limelight is currently a free agent and would easily become one of NXT’s top stars.
3/10 the lindaman
El Lindaman, along with T-Hawk and Cima, wrestled SCU in the opening match of the inaugural Double or nothing PPV. The young wrestler from Japan would continue to make appearances for AEW until the pandemic, after which he and his crew were unable to come to the United States due to travel restrictions.
Lindaman currently wrestles for Japan’s Gleat promotion and even put in a solid showing at NJPW 2022. The best of Super Junior. In fact, the 27-year-old star will be a perfect WWE signing, be it NXT or the rumored NXT Japan.
2/10 kylie rae
Kylie Rae was one of the first female signings made by AEW and became one of the main players in the emerging promotion. However, following Double or nothing 2019, Rae requested her release from AEW due to mental health issues, which was immediately granted.
Kylie, after taking multiple breaks from wrestling since then, has now returned to professional wrestling full time. From in-ring potential to incredible babyface character work, Kylie has it all and therefore she deserves another chance with a major wrestling promotion.
1/10 stu grayson
Stu Grayson, along with Evil Uno, made their AEW debut at the opening Double or nothing PPV as part of the Dark Order. While Stu always showed tons of potential due to his incredible work in the ring, unfortunately, he was reduced to just another member of the Dark Order faction. This resulted in him not renewing his contract with AEW in May 2022. Since then, Grayson has only made a cameo appearance for the promotion during a Dark Order segment of AEW Rampage from Grayson’s home country of Canada.
Stu is an incredible worker in the ring and is someone with a lot of untapped potential. Without a doubt, he is someone Triple H should sign and make a big push in NXT. On paper alone, a Grayson vs. Bron Breakker match for the NXT Championship sounds incredible.