All Elite Wrestling – Which Stars Should AEW Sign From WWE’s Layoffs

Right now, AEW is in a good position to grab up some ex-WWE talent as a 3rd round of layoffs has occurred the other day. Given the three big cuts since April, I decided to put together a list of wrestlers I think would be a good fit from these groups to come to AEW.

• Aleister Black (Tommy End) – My guess is that he’s the #1 guy that we’ll see in some capacity with AEW once his 90 days contract is up. He’s already named a large list of people he wants to work with in AEW, he’s got good ability, a good look, can talk, a good mind and would fit in nicely. Plus, hopefully he can (with his wife) continue doing their YouTube and Twitch channels.
• Lana (CJ Perry) – I’m guessing that she’ll be on the way to AEW to be with her husband. I know a lot of people want Miro to stay clear of CJ but they really are meant for each other. That said, given that her release came in June, we won’t be able to see her at least until September. The positive in that is that Miro will be given more time to develop his gimmick on his own where having CJ won’t be as big of a distraction. That said, what I prefer CJ to be is part of AEW’s women’s division. I think she might have a better chance there than in WWE and will be able to develop (see Tay Conti as a positive example of a release)
• Tyler Breeze – Seems like a good fit. Even admits to wanting to wrestle Orange Cassidy. He’s still young and has enough experience to help bolster up that company. Also, he has a relationship with Shawn Spears so I can see him being able to easily enter.
• Zelina Vega – Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in AEW anytime soon. Andrade already mentioned having her as a fantastic addition and would make a great mouthpiece for him, which would allow Vickie Guerrero to continue focusing on Nyla Rose. Also, if Tommy End shows up, it would make sense for the pair to be together, or at least back stage. More importantly, like CJ Perry, Zelina would make a fine addition to the women’s roster. She’s still young, has a fair amount of experience, can talk, looks great and would probably do quite well in singles.
• Santana Garrett – She’s my personal pick of who should go to AEW. I think she posted to Instagram about Shine so most likely she’ll head back there. But she’s someone that I think has good ability, looks great, looks like an athlete, can talk (if you get a chance to listen to her). Her problem is that she has yet to make an impact.
• Buddy Murphy – People have called him WWE’s best kept secret. Heard that he and Tommy End had a great match. Haven’t really seen much of him personally but people are saying he would be a great fit in AEW. My only concern is that he might end up getting lost in the shuffle.

As a counter point, I’m going to name people who AEW should not sign or go after.

• Fandango – Not sure how much he’ll add at this point to AEW. I think he might be better suited to Impact or Roh.
• Braun Strowman – There’s a post somewhere saying he was pretty much a WWE guy. I suspect that when he cools off eventually, the WWE will re-sign him for a lot less. But I don’t know what he’ll add to AEW besides another big name for a big price.
• Ruby Riott – I’m tempted to want her to go to AEW to help the women’s division but I think she’s too talented and probably better off working with Mickie James in NWA or being part of Impact Wrestling.
• Peyton Royce/Billie Kay (The Iiconics) – AEW doesn’t have a women’s tag team division whereas Impact Wrestling does. I think they even mentioned that aspect. AEW needs to find a better way of handling their huge roster and tier their shows like the way I mentioned in a previous review of Dynamite before they can feature more talent. At least with Impact Wrestling, I think The Iiconics will be able to have feature matches and bring some name recognition to that tag division.
• Chelsea Green – Again tempted to say getting another woman to AEW’s women’s division, but my argument for bringing someone like Green there is that AEW needs established stars to work with the youngsters. I think Green might be better off either with NWA or Impact Wrestling.
• Tucker Knight – Big guy but without his partner is kinda just there.

The rest are people I have almost no familiarity with except for a controversy or two. I would’ve said that Samoa Joe would not be a pick for me, even though he adds a lot anywhere he goes just because AEW is becoming very top heavy. The same could be said for Mickie James although I think she could have made a great backstage presence for the women. But with her doing the NWA stint, I think she’s far better off in a major producer role where she gets control to be able to exert her vision.

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