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AEW has made a name for itself as being a promotion that offers wrestlers a second chance. As seen in the past, signees like Chris Jericho and Dustin Rhodes have managed to reinvent themselves in AEW. Some wrestlers within the company have even used the promotion as a way to rise from their indie status, including the current TNT Champion, Sammy Guevara.
Additionally, AEW has also brought in plenty of independent talent, either for one-off appearances or as official signees to the company. Whether we're talking about the debut of Warhorse or Nick Gage, or the signing of a top indie talent like Danhausen, Tony Khan's promotion is certainly a place where an indie wrestler can thrive.
That being said, AEW could do well by signing some major veteran performers to the promotion. Here are 5 seasoned wrestlers who we'd love to see in AEW.
#5. AEW could sign The Motor City Machine Guns
Before The Young Bucks, before The Lucha Brothers, there was the high-flying, high-octane team of The Motor City Machine Guns. Rising through the ranks of the indie leagues, MCMG would go on to become one of the most popular tag teams in TNA and New Japan. Their best-of-five series against Beer Money and several matches against The Young Bucks are practically the stuff of legend.
More recently, MCMG made their return to IMPACT in July 2020, promptly winning the World Tag Team Titles from The North. With this win, The Machine Guns showed that they were performing at the same caliber as they had in the early 2010s. Given their past history with The Bucks, it'd be interesting to see The Guns once again face off against one of their oldest rivals in AEW.
#4. AEW could sign Matt Cross
As previously mentioned, AEW is the promotion where older talents shine brightest. Matt Cross may not be that old yet (he's only 41), but having a veteran wrestler as talented and versatile as Cross in AEW would be interesting.
Cross's recent in-ring accomplishments prove that he is still performing at an incredibly high level. From 2014 to 2018 in Lucha Underground, he wowed fans as the Son of Havoc, a high-flying, masked biker who was able to out-maneuveurs the very best luchadors.
In 2019, Cross would also go on to pursue the NWA World Championship a few times, as well as the company's TV title. Though he's not getting any younger, Cross's ability seems to only have improved with age.
Plus, given his gimmick--a straight-edge wrestler--he could be paired nicely with someone like CM Punk. Perhaps the two could even form their own, modern version of the Straight Edge Society in Tony Khan's promotion.
#3. The Amazing Red
Amazing Red is one of the pioneers of the high-flying, offensive style of wrestling fans frequently see today. Along with TNA's original X-Division lineup, Amazing Red popularized many of the top rope, luchador and cruiserweight moves of modern wrestling.
Initially, Red was portrayed as a young, underdog-type rookie able to use his speed and crazed, off-the-ropes offense to best larger opponents. Nowadays, Red is no longer the underdog. Since so many wrestlers in AEW seemingly owe a debt to Red's style, it'd be great to see such an underrated wrestler get a chance to flourish in Tony Khan's promotion.
#2. AEW could sign Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is arguably one of the most accomplished active wrestlers. He's wrestled in virtually every single major company in the world (TNA, WWE, IMPACT and many others) winning prestigious titles and facing top-talent again and again.
There are a variety of things that make Joe so incredible, he has a flexible in-ring moveset of suplexes, submission holds, MMA kicks and chops, and high-flying maneuvers.
He also has tremendous skill on the mic and a unique ability to wrestle literally anyone and put on a good match. He's wrestled cruiserweights, veterans, rookies, super heavyweights, and many more. He delivers a special match almost every single time. Having such a talented performer like Joe in any ring is a huge win, so why not him sign with Tony Khan's promotion?
#1. Chris Hero
Like Samoa Joe, Chris Hero is a wrestler who has appeared in nearly every major promotion. He's a man who made himself his name on the independent circuit, winning many of the indies' most noteworthy championships. As talented as Hero is, his time with NXT was largely unmemorable, with WWE clearly unsure how to utilize a veteran like Hero.
Hero is one of those wrestlers who works well as a singles competitor or a tag team performer. When paired with the right partner (such as Claudio Castagnoli in the Kings of Wrestling), he's fantastic. On his own, he's equally amazing at pursuing singles championship gold. No wrestler has quite as unique a moveset as Hero, known for his hard and punishing elbow strikes. Should he sign to All Elite, hopefully fans will get to see someone as fun to watch as Hero get the run he deserves on a large stage.
