Update on AEW's free agent signings; Tony Khan's new strategy for ex-WWE talent - Reports

As a new company in 2019, AEW scrambled to sign the biggest names it could while also working to build new stars that Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, and The Young Bucks had plucked from the independent scene. After more than six years and several highly publicized incidents, it seems the landscape has changed.

Tony Khan has signed several top stars from WWE and elsewhere, names like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kazuchika Okada, Adam Copeland, and more. Unfortunately, some of these signings have come with baggage. Now, with AEW's roster stacked with more talent than at any other point in its history, it seems Khan & Co. have adopted a new strategy.

In a recent Q&A on Fightful Select, Sean Ross Sapp addressed the fact that All Elite Wrestling has begun taking its time evaluating free agents, notably those exiting World Wrestling Entertainment. Sapp noted that there have been issues regarding former WWE Superstars not being satisfied in the Jacksonville-based promotion and that the company has been a bit pickier with its signings over the last year.

The biggest and most public incidents have involved CM Punk, but reports have also circulated regarding Miro, Andrade, and Malakai Black being dissatisfied and even potentially using the young promotion as a stepping stone back to WWE.

---

Swerve Strickland compares signing with AEW to joining the LA Lakers

It's been said that Tony Khan prizes loyalty above all else, and he's been known to give pushes to those who wave the banner for AEW. One of the best examples of this is with Swerve Strickland, whose intense work ethic and attitude have led him to the top of the mountain.

Strickland has been a champion for the company in more ways than one, and he recently proclaimed that no one should expect a free pass when signing with the promotion. In an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, he compared it to signing with the Los Angeles Lakers:

"People second-guess, can they come to All Elite Wrestling? People second-guess; can they just sign a contract and make an impact in All Elite Wrestling? It shouldn’t be like that. It should be like signing with the Lakers. [You can’t just get to] The Lakers and just expect to be starting five and run the floor and get playing time. No, you have to work, you have to be one of the best out there."

This attitude has also been seen in Bryan Danielson, FTR, Christian Cage, and Jon Moxley, who have all enjoyed enormous success in AEW. Whether Tony Khan signs any of WWE's most recent releases—and whether they can find their way to similar success—remains to be seen.