'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMvjSj//xAAfEAABBAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQAiBiERMYL/2gAIAQEAAT8ApJ3HY/BLGM9VSHruW5pIL2jTYGvj679YtwBagCro5//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEA/9oACAECAQE/ABv/xAAWEQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAIAQMBAT8ApH//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
AEW President Tony Khan has opened his checkbook once again to bring a new face to his ever-growing roster. This time, he has branched outside of the wrestling world once again to bring in basketball player Liam McMorrow.
The 35-year-old is a former Ice Hockey player from Toronto, Canada, who has played basketball professionally since 2012. He has played in different leagues across the world, including his native Canada, as well as China and Taiwan.
However, it seems as if McMorrow would like to follow in the footsteps of other wrestlers who have roots in basketball. WWE Hall of Famers The Undertaker and Kevin Nash are among the most notable.
Speaking on the Vegas Bad Boyz of Podcasting podcast, McMorrow explained that he traveled to the Nightmare Factory to train with Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall. He then made his way to Daily's Place for a day of AEW tapings, where his deal with Tony Khan and AEW initially began:
"AEW, it felt like everyone I had a conversation with was very, very friendly. The only one who wasn’t was Billy Gunn but I think he was just having a bad day or he didn’t know why I was there. His sons were both there, his sons were both cool. Everyone was f*cking cool, from the owner on the way down… And that might have something to do with how I got in there. People know [Diamond] Dallas [Page], everyone loves Dallas but that doesn’t mean that you have to be nice to me. But maybe that’s just the culture over there." (H/T WrestleZone)
McMorrow explained that he did reach an initial verbal agreement with Tony Khan regarding his wrestling future. However, due to issues with his visa, it might be a while before AEW fans see the 7-foot giant in the ring.
Missed the latest Dynamite results? Check them out here!
This isn't the first time Tony Khan has brought a basketball player to AEW
Due to the nature of the business during the 1980s and 1990s, many people thought that the bigger a wrestler was, the better they were. Tony Khan and AEW have bucked that trend for the most part when it comes to their roster. But, that hasn't stopped the AEW president from bringing a "one in a billion" talent to his roster.
On the April 13th, 2022 edition of Dynamite, Tony Khan debuted the biggest talent he had ever brought to AEW in the form of Satnam Singh. He attacked ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe following his hard-hitting match with Minoru Suzuki.
Singh was the first Indian-born player to play in the NBA when he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. But as his minutes on the court dwindled, his minutes in the ring increased, with the big man eventually calling AEW his home.
At the time of writing, Singh has racked up six wins in his AEW career, all with Jay Lethal by his side as his tag team partner. This begs the question of when wrestling fans will see the "one in a billion" wrestle someone one-on-one.
Which basketball players would you like to see in AEW? Let us know in the comments section down below!
