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AEW is gearing up for its biggest pay-per-view of the year, All Out 2022. The event will be stacked with multiple confirmed matches, such as the Casino Ladder Match, World Trios Championship Tournament Finals, Four-Way Match for the Interim AEW Women's Championship, and more.
There will also be multiple grudge bouts, such as Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, and Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy. A possible late addition to the card could be the rematch for the AEW World Championship between Jon Moxley and CM Punk.
These contests alone might be enough to convince wrestling fans to part with their hard-earned cash, but AEW President Tony Khan might have more aces up his sleeve. Last year's edition brought the debuts of Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and Ruby Soho. Can we see the return of multiple AEW stars on this year's edition?
Here are five AEW wrestlers who are due to reappear anytime soon:
#5. AEW veteran Paul Wight
WWE legend and current AEW commentator Paul Wight is best known for his 'Big Show' moniker. But before his time in Vince McMahon's promotion, he was a mainstay in WCW and even dabbled in some acting in the late '90s.
He had a memorable cameo in the 1998 Adam Sandler movie The Waterboy as a fictional wrestling character called "Captain Insano." In the unlikeliest of plot twists, Wight has revealed that AEW owner Tony Khan now owns the rights to the name, which means he could realistically bring it back as part of his in-ring return.
Speaking on the Rob Brown Show, Wight said:
"Tony Khan and I have some pretty fun stuff coming up in the future that he and I put together," said Wight. "We've actually secured the rights to Captain Insano, so we are going to break out Captain Insano, [he] will be coming out in the next couple of months."
The former world heavyweight champion added:
"We're kind of just doing the commentary while I'm getting wardrobe put together now for the outfits and Max Dunbar, who is an incredible comic book design guy, helped draw the outfit up for Captain Insano, we're getting that made now and then before you know it Captain Insano's gonna be running wild in AEW, dude." (H/T Fightful).
The last time Wight had a match on the main AEW roster was against QT Marshall at last year's All Out. The 50-year-old is due for a return and might even bring his Hulk Hogan-inspired alter ego for a final run in the company.
#4. ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is one of the latest WWE Superstars to join AEW earlier this year. He was immediately placed on revamped ROH roster, eventually winning the World Television Championship and defending it against Jay Lethal.
The last time we saw The Samoan Submission Machine in the ring was at ROH Death Before Dishonor. Since his victory over Lethal, he simply hasn't been on television to the point where fans wondered about his whereabouts.
According to a report from PWInsider, Joe has been away shooting the Peacock series Twisted Metal based on a PlayStation video game. The series will star Brooklyn-99 actress Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Captain America actor Antony Mackie.
But with rumblings of a new ROH weekly show on the horizon, All Out would be the perfect time for the ROH World Television Champion to make his comeback and set the tone for the division's future.
#3. Adam Cole w/Undisputed Elite
Adam Cole and ReDragon are some of the most highly coveted signings to have come from WWE. The former NXT Champion and NXT Tag Team Champions made quite the impact initially, joining forces with The Young Bucks to form the Undisputed Elite.
The Panama City Playboy even challenged for the AEW World Championship against then-champion Hangman Page at Revolution 2022. But the trio's momentum has unfortunately been marred by injury. First, Cole suffered a torn labrum and concussion. Then Kyle O'Reilly was hurt after an altercation with WWE Hall of Famer Sting.
Bobby Fish is the only member of the trio left standing. In a recent interview with the Two Man Power Trip podcast, he provided an update on the medical status of his real-life friends:
"We weren't going to be able to do it, all three of us, at the time that we needed to be. Plans had to be shifted. Much like everything in pro wrestling, it's all subject to change. This, unfortunately, is one of those things that became subject to change," he said.
Fish further added that he's the only star who's fully healed:
"Right now, I'm the only one who is fully healthy. It's just a matter of the boys getting back. It won't be long, but that's where we are at the moment, just giving the boys a little time to heal, and then we'll get this thing going again." (H/T: Fightful)
Despite their injuries, The Undisputed briefly returned to betray The Young Bucks on Dynamite in early August to prevent them from competing in the AEW World Trios Championship Tournament.
However, Matt and Nick Jackson bounced back by bringing back their long-time teammate Kenny Omega to enter the tournament.
Suppose The Elite makes it all the way to the tournament finals at All Out. In that case, it sets up the perfect scenario for Cole, O'Reilly, and Fish to make their returns, especially if they cost their former allies a chance at winning the inaugural titles.
#2. Former FTW Champion Brian Cage
Brian Cage has sporadically appeared on AEW programming for nearly a year. Since being ousted by Ricky Starks from Team Taz and losing the FTW Championship, he has barely appeared on significant shows.
The Machine briefly showed up in Tony Khan's other promotion, Ring of Honor, joining the new Embassy faction. But will he ever make his return to AEW?
Speaking on a recent edition of Keepin' It 100, Konnan gave his take on Cage's absence and the possibility of TNT seemingly forcing AEW to keep the star off television:
"Man, what's the big deal? You know a guy for all these years and then you find out he's gay and you're like, 'What the f**k?' and that's number one. Number two, like you said they were great friends, he looked up to him and he patterned his style after him and you know, you're gonna keep a talent like that off of TV because of this? And again, it goes back to all this political correctness where other people are offended for us, you know, is there an outpouring of people saying, 'Hey, don't have Brian Cage on the show'? So why are you doing this?" said Konnan [0:58-1:29]
While there hasn't been a specific reason why Tony Khan has chosen to keep Cage off television, he could easily be inserted into the rivalry between Starks and Hobbs, making his presence known at All Out.
#1. MJF
AEW star MJF was the biggest name in the company going into the summer after his explosive feud promo on Dynamite after Double or Nothing. During the segment, he blasted Tony Khan and management over contractual differences. Since then, he has not been mentioned on television at all, while he has also missed Forbidden Door 2022.
However, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer wrote in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter that The Salt of the Earth might be returning soon as the company will need strong ratings going into their negotiations for a new TV deal.
"MJF is currently scheduled to be returning somewhat soon. We don’t know the exact time but the negotiations for a new TV deal will likely be taking place starting in just a few months and into the spring, so the TV ratings numbers probably September to whenever the deal is closed are the most important to date so this recent drop is the worst time to have a drop," said Dave Meltzer. (H/T WrestleTalk)
CM Punk was MJF's biggest rival before his departure, with a rivalry that spanned nearly four months. With The Straightedge Superstar losing the AEW World Championship in such stunning fashion against Jon Moxley in last week's Dynamite, the two stars will inevitably have a rematch at All Out, given that it is in Punk's hometown.
Could there be unfinished business between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and The Second City Saint? Perhaps another intriguing twist would be for MJF to actually align with Punk and help him regain the title, essentially turning the former WWE Champion heel. It would certainly be a shocking way to end the pay-per-view.
