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All Elite Wrestling has made a huge impact on wrestling without yet staging a single proper wrestling show. Some of that has to do with the company’s pre-cursor, All In— a fun wrestling spectacle that includes good action and storytelling in front of a sold-out live crowd and a large PPV and streaming audience. Some of it has to do with Tony Khan’s vast resources, which have immediately made AEW more credible than any other startup promotion. Some of it can be attributed to the creative vision of Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, who have demonstrated themselves to be in touch with hardcore wrestling fans’ sensibilities.
And then there’s the matter of the talent already signed to AEW. With WWE alumni Chris Jericho and Pac, as well as top free agents like Kenny Omega and Pentagon, the company is already amassing a roster second only to WWE’s. Rumors abound regarding other talents AEW is interested in, or who are looking for an opportunity to sign. This article takes a look at five unique dream matches it’s possible could materialize under the AEW banner.
#5 The Undertaker vs. Sting
It is a reach to imagine The Undertaker wrestling for a company other than WWE, both out of loyalty and because at this stage of the career it’s hard to believe he has many more matches in him. However, when he agreed to appear at Starrcast over Double or Nothing Weekend, it got people talking about whether Dead Man could consider working for AEW, even if just for one match, if the money were right.
Sting has declared himself retired, but any longtime fan knows how wrestling retirements tend to go. Moreover, he was a non-WWE mainstay in the wrestling world, who has openly acknowledged that some of his hesitation in signing was based in not knowing if he could trust WWE. His tenure with the company basically consisted of losing to Triple H, losing to Seth Rollins, and accepting a Hall of Fame induction. It’s believable that, if his body can go and the money is right, Sting wouldn’t rule out making one more go of it with AEW.
So, while there’s no indication that The Undertaker vs. Sting will ever happen on the WrestleMania stage that fans long speculated about, for the first time in nearly two decades, it seems even abstractly possible it could happen in another promotion. The Icon vs. The Phenom probably wouldn’t be all that good at this point, but booked appropriately, it could be a landmark spectacle for AEW.
#4 CM Punk vs. Kenny Omega
CM Punk has declared himself retired from wrestling and there’s a general sense that he was fed up with WWE and didn’t want to take a step down to a smaller stage. All Elite Wrestling presents a fascinating alternative—a newer, smaller machine than WWE, but nonetheless one with big money, big names, and bit potential attached to it.
Punk worked a signing over All In weekend, showing some level of cooperation with the organization that would lead to AEW. If the Straight Edge Superstar ever does work another match, it’s reasonable enough to think it would be in an AEW ring.
If Punk were to come back, Kenny Omega would make a terrific opponent, as a guy with a comparable pedigree and style from working smaller promotions, with the added bonus that he’s still at the top of his game, which could help compensate for any ring rust on Punk’s part.
#3 Chris Jericho vs. Pentagon
While most of the matches pitched on this list involve one or more talents not yet signed to AEW, and therefore remain more fantasy and speculation than likelihoods at this point, this match is the exception. Chris Jericho was the star signee announced at the original AEW rally. The Double or Nothing rally saw the arrival of Pentagon.
Pentagon looks to start out teaming with his brother Rey Fenix, and his first program is casting the two of them against The Young Bucks. Pentagon has proven himself more than capable of working toward the top of the card as singles wrestler, too, with a resume that includes winning the top titles in Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling. Pentagon is a star on the rise and fine prospective foil for Jericho as a legend in the twilight of his in ring career who should be helping to build the newer stars at AEW’s disposal.
#2 Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes
Cody Rhodes worked with his half brother Goldust a fair bit in WWE, including tag team runs as well as a short program opposite one another during the original Stardust push. Contrary to the more grandiose rumored program that might have seen Cody retire the elder son of the American Dream at a WrestleMania, the feud between the two and its matches were pretty forgettable and seemed to underscore how few long term plans WWE had for either man.
Goldust is nearly fifty years old and despite getting into terrific shape in his forties, still probably doesn’t have a lot longer in the ring. While he is on good term s with WWE, if there’s one person who could lure him to wrestle elsewhere for the last chapter of his wrestling career, wouldn’t it be Cody, and particularly with the promise of realizing their big singles program?
#1 The Young Bucks vs. The Usos
The Usos have had a deceptively long and impressive career, spending nearly a decade on the WWE main roster and more often than not in the tag team title picture. They’ve evolved, too, from a relatively generic heel gimmick that focused on their Samoan heritage, to a hipper high flying face team, to their edgier current persona. Through it all, they’ve been consistently good, exciting workers.
Because The Usos have been in WWE all this time, they haven’t had the opportunity to work with teams from outside that sphere. The Young Bucks are probably the most stand out non-WWE team of the last decade or more, particularly for their efforts in Ring of Honor and New Japan. The Bucks look to be cornerstones of AEW, given their combination of talent and management role. If The Usos do wind up leaving WWE—particularly in wake of recent legal issues with Jimmy getting into it with the police—they could be an exciting signing for AEW and look forward to a truly great first-time tag team dream match for this generation.
