As the clock struck midnight on December 31st something momentous happened.
The turgid, horrible trudge that was 2018 slipped out of existence and 2019 was born,
slipping into existence alongside it was All Elite Wrestling, the new promotion from Cody
Rhodes and The Young Bucks, unless you were elsewhere in the world, because time works
differently there.
With this exciting new venture comes a whole load of speculation - just who have Rhodes
and the Jackson Two signed to compete in AEW?
Aside from Britt Baker.
They're likely to have the pick of the world's top independent stars, especially if the rumours
of the contractual floor being a ‘good six figure deal’ are true.
Money!
With money on the line and the chance to potentially be a big star in a fledgling promotion with
a lot of eyes on it will WWE stars be tempted to jump ship and head to over to AEW?
Well, that's for us to wait and see, but for now, let's look at some WWE stars who have
hinted that they may be open to negotiating with The Elite.
I’m El Fakidor Laurie Blake and this is me saying I’d be open to signing with All
Elite Wrestling.
Oh yeah, and here are some WWE folks who could go to All Elite.
1.
Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder came one match away from going the entire 365 days of 2018 without having
a single match on Raw, you know, that brand he's a member of.
If he hadn't been included in the Intercontinental Championship number one contender battle royal
on New Year's Eve, it would have been a whole year without a single "woo woo woo".
So next time you said the name Zack Ryder it would have been ‘who, who, who?’.
There are bad jokes and there is that.
Ryder is a close friend of Cody Rhodes, the new executive vice president of All Elite
Wrestling, and the two have had plenty of back and forths on Twitter over the past few
months which have led many to believe that Ryder could be on his way out of WWE.
Replying to Ryder's tweet which pointed out that he was one Raw away from not wrestling
on TV in 2018, Cody said:
“Some perspective for you babe...several years ago the biggest star in the world (in
MSG), the Rock was standing in the ring and the crowd was chanting “we want Ryder”...
Whatever you do now, do it without fear.
I mean Pam went and did that Pratt Institute thing... “
https://t.co/rUymi8SSXr — Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) December 28,
2018
The Pam reference for people unaware is a about Pam from the US Office, who applies
to an art school, which for her was a huge move even though she didn't know whether it
would be a success or not.
Could this therefore be a suggestion from Cody that Zack should similarly put all his
eggs in one basket and jump shit to AEW?
Ryder is undoubtedly a very talented superstar and he's a naturally over babyface.
His Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 32 is enough to prove that he could be a star
in the right environment.
Though just to go back to that Office reference Pam did end up working back at Dunder Mifflin
at the end of the series though soooo…..
Beesely...
2.
Tye Dillinger 10.
Is about the number of matches this guy has had this year.
Tye Dillinger, much like Zack Ryder, is someone that you'd be forgiven for forgetting about,
given the lack of TV time he's had this past year.
Aside from a couple of appearances as someone to take pinfalls in US title feuds, and having
his finger snapped by Randy Orton, Tye hasn’t really had much to do on the main roster.
Following the announcement of AEW, a fan tweeted Tye asking him what he thought, to which Tye
responded:
What a time to be a wrestling fan!
More wrestling for you all! https://t.co/5E9oospyxO
— Ten 🙌🏻 (@WWEDillinger) January 1, 2019
What a time indeed.
And what a time to be a wrestler perhaps?
Could Tye's enthusiasm be his way of hinting to Cody and the Bucks that he'd be interested
in a move to their new promotion?
Another fan then explained to Dillinger why he thinks he should make the move saying:
“Would really consider if i were you.
Yeah the money is nice and cozie but you gotta start getting some feuds going we barley see
you on tv.
You're being wasted away on the roster only doing live events think about it at least”
A near zero punctuation review of Tye’s WWE career.
Tye replied:
“This is the same old same old.
I’ve considered plenty.
I control what I can.
Attitude, physique, mindset and work ethic.
I know how hard I work, and I’m well aware no one gets to see that a lot.
I’m sorry for that but you’re asking me for things out of my hands.
Enjoy the show.
“ https://t.co/omru2WGII5
— Ten 🙌🏻 (@WWEDillinger) January 1, 2019
Well he's not denied that he's considering his options at the very least.
A move away from WWE would surely give Tye more in ring time, but as he suggests, he
needs to decide what he wants at this point in his career.
And if he does stay with WWE… uh… the Rumble’s coming up, they’ve got a number
10 slot...
3.
Gallows and Anderson Well would you look at that, more underutilized
wrestlers.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson burst on the WWE scene in 2016, but have since done very
little other than an uninspiring run with the Raw Tag Team Championships and shouting
Nerd at people backstage and seemingly existing in their own Gallanderland of in-jokes about
hot asian wives and abs.
Before WWE the duo were a big deal in NJPW for a three year period between 2013 and 2016,
and so will have had plenty of contact and have built a close relationship with the Young
Bucks, the new executive vice presidents of All Elite Wrestling.
And the Good Brothers could become Prodigal Sons as there have been reports that New Japan
are keen on bringing the duo back to Japan when their WWE contracts expire, but could
the new lure of AEW make them consider a different move altogether?
As former members of the Bullet Club, they're sure to be high on the list of people that
AEW would want to sign, and reports currently suggest that Gallows and Anderson's contracts
are set to expire in September 2019.
And as there are allegedly no plans to re-sign the tag team once their contracts are up,
they could well be looking for a new permanent home.
Although there has been little in the way of social media speculation from either man,
their history with the Bucks and the Bullet Club could make them serious candidates for
AEW contracts.
4.
Dolph Ziggler Unsurprisingly, Dolph Ziggler is the only
person on this list that hasn't been booked into oblivion by WWE, with the company showing
him an uncharacteristically large amount of faith in his nearly 15 year career.
That's not to say however that there haven't been times where it's felt like Dolph is on
the verge of leaving WWE in favour of more favourable climes, ones where titles can be
won and you don’t keep getting kicked in the face by Drew McIntyre.
Just over a year ago we thought the end might be nigh for Dolph, who was reportedly unhappy
with the way that he was being booked, demanding to be used better.
It's hardly a secret that he’s easily one of the most solid workers in the entire company,
so you could hardly blame him for wanting a bit more of the spotlight.
And he’s called the Show Off for crying out loud, it’s his gimmick.
And real life.
Now I’m confused.
Earlier on in this list we mentioned the tweet that Cody sent to Zack Ryder after Ryder mentioned
his lack of Raw appearances, and it just so happens that one Dolph Ziggler also chimed
in with his thoughts on the matter.
“great call.
But no way he gets that ref... (maybe tell him to defend himself the way
Kevin defended his home, against the wet bandits)” — Nic Nemeth (@HEELZiggler) December 28,
2018
A series of booby traps!
A great gimmick!
A table on top of a ladder on top of a chair on a pole that drops on top of you when you
walk underneath it.
All the while the crowd chant Goldberg.
Rube Goldberg.
But Dolph said it was a "Great call" too?
Could Dolph be thinking the same thing as Zack and reckoning a move away from WWE is
a perfectly reasonable thing to consider?
A zag when everyone expected a zig?
Of course the move would be a risk, particularly for someone who is still used as an upper-midcard
star in WWE, but if he were to leave, it would be a huge coup for Cody and pals.
5.
The Revival
Hey look, we're back to stars that WWE doesn't know how to book!
I'd missed talking about that.
While on NXT, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were compared to the Brain Busters, high praise
which was well deserved.
They were hard-hitting, no nonsense guys who had great matches with anyone they stepped
into the ring with.
No flips just flipping excellent graps.
Since coming to the main roster however, they've only been responsible for me banging my head
on the table while I watch them being beaten by the B-Team by accident, multiple times.
I’m not even going to go into Lucha House Rules, because my brain can’t take it.
There is no question that they could utilise their talents better outside of WWE, sure
they’ve got a title shot against Gable and Roode coming up on Raw, but that doesn’t
necessarily change the way they’re being booked - the B-Team stuff was for the tag
titles!
The duo are friendly with Matt and Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks, something they don't exactly
hide on social media.
They have teased matches against each other on multiple occasions, for example:
Matt tweeted: One day we’ll wrestle The Revival & everyone
will rejoice.
Remember this tweet.
— The Young Bucks (@MattJackson13) December 4, 2018
Soon after, Dash Wilder tweeted: One day we’ll wrestle The Young Bucks & everyone
will rejoice.
Remember this tweet.
— Dash (@DashWilderWWE) December 4, 2018
Oooo so cryptic, I wonder what these tweets could mean!
I mean, yes, we would certainly rejoice, but whether this will actually lead to anything
in AEW is another question.
6.
Jim Ross
Yes, that’s right, good ol’ JR Jim Ross is still signed to a WWE deal that expires
in March, and he is probably the most likely name on this list to be heading to AEW once
it does expire.
All of the rumours suggested Jim was involved in All Elite from the off.
And according to Rajah.com, AEW are negotiating with Ross to be heavily involved with the
promotion, both as a commentator and backstage.
Previous reports suggest he may be involved in scouting talent and putting out feelers
to those he has previously worked with, which is almost everyone in wrestling nowadays.
No one is off limits!
Ross hasn’t appeared on WWE since being a part of the pre-show panel for the Greatest
Royal Rumble in April, load of gubbins that was.
WWE blocked Ross from calling any NJPW shows until the end of his contract, which included
Friday’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 show.
There are no suggestions that he has any plans to extend his stay with WWE, and could well
join Cody and the boys as soon as he can.
BAH GAWD.
------
Blooming heck.
Wrestle Kingdom 13 was a bit good wasn’t it?
Was it?
I’m pre-recording this, I have no idea.
If you don’t either, or just want to know what we thought click the video onscreen now
for the full review.
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I’ve been El Fakidor and that was lucha.