I know, AEW has a stacked roster with so much talent right now, and there’s no reason to change what isn’t broke, but not every wave of WWE releases is homogenous. AEW fans like me have seen the history. However, time changes. AEW has learned from history to be selective.
When the first wave of line-crossers came, both fan expectations and the wrestlers who joined were either sky-high or misaligned. The reality was ill-fitting, creatively, and for the wrestlers. Just see Malakai Black’s AEW run. Or Miro’s AEW run, which, despite its eventual flight-plane-like hold, I’ve argued was still better than anything the Bulgarian’s accomplished since rejoining WWE.
However, our perception isn’t reality. Things do change. Just look at Andrade El Idolo. At one time, some fans tarred him with the same brush as former cohorts Black and Miro.
Let’s not forget that the former WWE wrestlers AEW has signed in recent years have appeared to have the right mindset to fit into AEW’s “No Floaties” philosophical framework. Besides El Idolo, we’ve seen The Hurt Syndicate carve out a niche for themselves. Others like Isla Dawn and even the first WWE ID signing, Zayda Steel, have helped bolster the women’s division in AEW and ROH.
Of the current crop, four wrestlers could slot neatly into various gaps in AEW’s various divisions at some stage. It doesn’t have to be immediately. Yes, none are necessary. Yet given the chance, as Tommaso Ciampa was recently the TNT champion and as Darby Allin’s first world title defence, they could prove that they were always of Elite quality.
1) The Motor City Machine Guns
Interestingly, it seems AEW will be in Detroit in 90 days. The Motor City Machine Guns (MCMGs) had one match in AEW. When they left TNA Wrestling, the word on the street was that they had options. Both AEW and WWE offered them contracts. They picked WWE. MCMGs immediately won the WWE Tag Team Championship. That became the highlight of their run.
Detractors with loyalty to AEW might be bitter, suggesting they had their bed. Yet, for those pedalling the notion that MCMGs burn their bridges with AEW, they might want to consider that they are observers. It’s the folks with the power and sway who decide. Friends with the Young Bucks, the door could open.
Although some like to talk about age, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are in their forties; we need to get past these old-fashioned notions of what being a 40-year-old wrestler used to mean. It’s no longer the same. Wrestlers today are built and maintain themselves differently. MCMG are not The Hardy Boys, whose wear and tear was painfully visible during their AEW run.
MCMG could be more than a nostalgia act for the heydays of TNA Wrestling. If Shelley and Sabin could rise to the challenge, adding an extra veteran tag team for not just The Young Bucks, but FTR and The Rascalz to produce some magic with, isn’t going to waste time. Besides history, there are plenty of fresh challengers whom the veterans could put over.
2) Alba Fyre/ Kay Lee Ray
I want to put that bias on the table. I am an old-school fan of Kay Lee Ray on the BritWres scene. An incredibly talented wrestler who made the most of her minutes as part of Chelsea Green’s Regime. Yet, for me, it feels criminal that her wrestling ability has been overshadowed by comedy. The Queen of Hardcore was reduced to wearing suits rather than dealing violence.
Yet with an adjustment period, Ray could showcase her abilities again in ICW or Pro Wrestling EVE. Alongside her former WWE Unholy Union partner, Isla Dawn, the pair could become another force in the women’s tag division. Perhaps starting on ROH and then on the main roster. AEW’s women’s tag team division will need more than bodies. As the division grows, naturally, teams will need to be elevated to become established challengers and then champions.
Another veteran tag team, like The IInspiration, who at first some fans were judgmental of. Concerned about the WWE/TNA-associated team not being able to fulfil their role. Well, we saw in their debut their role as a comic team to help get The Brawling Birds over. That’s not to suggest Ray and Dawn must fulfil that same role. They can surely develop their own personalities and roles. With Dawn already aligned with The Grizzled Young Vets, there’s the potential for a Brit-Wres-inspired stable for ROH’s midcard.
3) Santos Escobar
It would be cliché, even if true, to say that the former El Hijo del Fantasma/ Lucha Underground’s King Cuerno is another strong wrestling talent WWE squandered. A skilled luchador, who found ways to emote and engage audiences, even with the supposed barrier of a mask. The current Santos Escobar could be a great asset not just for AEW.
Given the increasing use of dual contracts, I could see Escobar working with both AEW and CMLL. In the AEW midcard, Escobar could, like other CMLL wrestlers, become a beloved occasional attraction. The Don Callis Family’s Hecichero earned fans’ love with his technical wizardry. Mascara Dorada wowed and made himself a candidate last year for wrestler of the year. Mistico’s brief AEW appearances have again reminded fans of how much WWE struggles with luchadores.
As someone who could make sporadic appearances, be an AEW TNT or National Championship contender, fans would welcome more dynamic lucha action on Dynamite or Collision. Alternatively, Escobar’s WWE presentation could see him slot well into a role with La Faccion Ingobernable.
4) Kairi Sane
As you may have noticed, none of these potential signings is necessarily going to be pushed to the moon. AEW’s ecosystem has wrestlers and characters that fans are invested in or engaging with. Those who have joined, not even from WWE, but even NJPW, like The Dogs, have had to prove, regardless of wins and losses and short championship reigns, that they are Elite.
Of all the WWE releases, the one wrestler who jumps out, who could join the ranks of El Idolo and Ciampa, and perhaps over time could even become like “Timeless” Toni Storm or Mercedes Mone, is Kairi Sane. Always a standout, always able to keep fans talking and discussing how she could be utilised better, it’s a familiar story.
One that was attached to both Storm and Moné. In their own ways, Storm and Moné have enhanced their legacies in AEW. Storm created a Timeless character with persistence. Moné’s belt collector run redefined a trope. Each has helped shine a wider spotlight on women’s wrestling. Although how far that spotlight reaches the supporting cast is debatable.
The addition of Sane to the women’s roster provides not only another recognisable name. Sane has skills, credibility, and a character that could mesh well in the division as a face or heel. Whichever division Sane was placed in, she could be an
