AEW is apparently hoping to sign exactly seven names of the deep list of talents leaving WWE. A slew of names got fired by WWE earlier in the year, and their non-complete clauses have recently ended to make them legal free agents again. Other established stars like New Day and Sheamus were released for allegedly not wanting to restructure deals.
The Wrestling Observer reported the following news about AEW’s interest:
“I’ve learned after speaking to sources that there are at least 7 names who are currently “waiting” to be signed by AEW. As of yet, I’ve been unable to confirm exactly when the deals are expected to be done nor who the 7 names/acts are specifically.
One source also confirmed that there “may be more, but I only know of 7 personally,” so there could be a big move to grab more talent for AEW/ROH in the next few weeks. This might surprise a few people but with Dynamite, Collision and ROH TV weekly to fill, Tony Khan could be looking for some extra talent to fill out the different rosters.”
The phrasing of AEW “waiting” means that these talents are all from the recently released WWE lists. AEW President Tony Khan is clearly looking to freshen up the roster by adding a lot of names to become available.
Four AEW Signings Are Extremely Obvious
The seven names means that one tag team can account for two talents to explain the long list performers they desire. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley of the Motor City Machine Guns recently uploaded a video about them getting a dream contract offer that most fans assume is for AEW.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods aka New Day are the other obvious tag team act that makes sense. Dave Meltzer reported a while back that New Day accepting a release over taking a smaller contract likely means they view AEW as a destination.
Woods recently worked with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega on a video game article for Giant Bomb with some teases at the future. Four of the seven talents are likely from these two tag teams to boost the division already consisting of Cope & Christian, the Young Bucks, and FTR as legendary duos.
Figuring Out The Other Former WWE Names
The AEW women’s division has been hit with injuries and Toni Storm needing time off for personal reasons. AEW is heating up some new talents, but they clearly need a couple more stars with high ceilings to boost the women’s division.
Kairi Sane stands out as an obvious name with great WWE and Japan wrestling experience to perfectly fit into AEW. Alba Fyre aka Kay Lee Ray is another female talent who makes sense since she came up in the indie circuit and has multiple close friends on the roster.
The final name is the most interesting one since the list of released talents is quite deep. Former WWE World Champion Sheamus recently confirmed he was done with WWE and could be the last name. Close ties to Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and others would help Sheamus find a role in AEW to end his career there.
AEW Hoping To Sign Seven Former WWE Stars: Who Are They?