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Well, the cat is finally out of the bag. After months and months of anticipation and soft teases, Cody, The Young Bucks, and Hangman finally revealed they are going to start a new wrestling promotion called ' All Elite Wrestling' and they will be putting on a show under the AEW banner called ' Double or Nothing,' the sequel to the hugely popular ' ALL IN ' event held last year. The announcement was made at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve on their YouTube show ' Being the Elite'. This piece of news has created a huge storm in the wrestling business where many feel that this promotion is going to be WWE's biggest competitor in North America since the closure of WCW.
The promotion is funded by Tony Khan, son of Billionaire Shahid Khan, who owns the NFL team, Jacksonville Jaguars. The Elite has also announced that they will reveal further details about the promotion on 8th January at the TIA Bank Field Arena, which is the home ground of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The promotion also announced that Cody and The Young Bucks will be serving Executive Vice President while the other members of ' Being the Elite' will have a backstage agent role in the promotion.
With a lot of independent wrestlers becoming free agents in the new year, AEW will be closely looking to scout the best talent for their promotion in order to secure a big-time TV deal. As per reports, the company is reportedly in talks with a few WWE Superstars who have expressed their desire to sign with the promotion. With the backing of a billionaire like Tony Khan, money doesn't seem to a problem for AEW and the promotion is expected to make huge-money offers to the top stars in the independent circuit.
Here are the five independent stars that AEW should sign:
#5 Jimmy Havoc
One of the biggest names on the British independent circuit, Jimmy Havoc brings with him a brand of wrestling that is slowly fading. Havoc is one of the best hardcore wrestlers on the planet. A cursory glance at the some of Havoc's matches will give you an idea of how much punishment and brutality that this man has endured over the years. He started his wrestling career in 2004 in NWA UK Hammerlock along with Zack Sabre Jr. and Finn Balor.
Havoc has won numerous championships all across the globe and is the longest reigning Progress World Champion. He currently plies his trade in Major League Wrestling, Progress, Insane Championship Wrestling, and Defiant Wrestling, where he is the promotion's reigning Hardcore Champion. Having Havoc in its ranks will give AEW a huge advantage in UK market as he is one of the most recognized British wrestlers on the planet right now.
Havoc is also one of the few remaining wrestlers who thrive in death-defying, hardcore speculations and have a personna that is creepy and terrifying at the see time. Havoc will be a valuable addition to the AEW roster and signing him could help the promotion to break into the UK market in a big way.
#4 Will Ospreay
The aerial assassin is one of the most exciting stars in the wrestling landscape today. Will Osparaey has been a huge draw in every promotion he has been and is currently making huge waves in Japan. Ospreay is scheduled to go up against Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Never Openweight Championship at WrestleKingdom 13.
Ospreay is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a former winner of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. While his current contract is unknown at the moment, we are pretty sure that promotions will be making a beeline to get the Brit in their roster.
Osparaey is slowly moving up the ranks to become a heavyweight in New Japan. Many see him as the next big foreign star in the company. The aerial assassin can put on a great match with almost anyone and has the ability to do things which were never seen before in a wrestling ring.
The kind of success that Ospreay has had over the past few years has been absolutely mind-boggling. He is the biggest independent star in the UK today has a great market value in the region. He will be a huge catch for AEW as someone of his name and stature will most likely bring newer eyes to the AEW product and make it more palpable for fans who like high-flying moves in wrestling.
#3 Eddie Edwards
A two-decade veteran of the squared circle, having made his debut in 2002, Eddie Edwards is one of the most accomplished stars on the independent circuit today winning championships in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Noah, PWG and TNA Impact Wrestling. Richard's has been equally effective in both singles and tag team competition. He is a multi-time tag team champion alongside Davey Richards, with the duo collectively being known as 'The Wolves.'
But, despite being an accomplished star in various promotions, Richards has been never got the recognition and adulation that he deserves. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, which is reportedly a multi-year deal and is one of the few stars to be signed exclusively to the promotion. With Impact currently hardly making ends meet and potentially looking for new buyers, AEW could end up acquiring the services of the former IMPACT world champion. Edwards has the right mix of athleticism and aggression and could prove to be a big asset for AEW.
#2 Tessa Blanchard
The current Impact Knockouts Champion is one of the most sought-after female stars on the independent circuit. The daughter of the great Tully Blanchard has taken the wrestling world by storm and has become the top female in Impact, mere months after debuting in the promotion. Blanchard started out in 2014 when she was just 19 years old and hasn't looked back ever since.
She has worked for promotions like Shimmer, Stardom, Rise and Women's Superstars Uncensored and is currently the top female star outside of the WWE. She was also a part of the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2016 where she was eliminated in the first round by the tournament's eventual winner, Kairi Sane. She has appeared in NXT, where she was used as an enhancement talent putting over stars like Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Nia Jax.
With Brandi Rhodes playing a major role in AEW, the promotion is excepted to feature a full-time female roster with Rhodes reportedly serving as the head of female talent. The promotion has already signed one of the top female independent stars in Britt Baker and is expected to sign more female stars in the coming weeks and months. With Impact reportedly going through another financial crisis, Blanchard should start looking for another home as Impact seems to be in the death-bed once again. Blanchard will undoubtedly be a top target for AEW and having her in the ranks would be a big plus for the promotion's female division.
#1 Kazuchika Okada
Widely regarded by many as the greatest wrestler on the planet today, The Rainmaker hasn't been the same ever since losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Kenny Omega at Dominion last year. Okada has been going through a rather rough patch in his career, he failed to qualify for the finals of the G1 Climax, he lost to his arch-nemesis Hiroshi Tanahashi for the first time in over three years and he was stabbed in the back by his former manager cum mentor, Gedo.
Okada has done everything there is to do in New Japan. He has won the G1 climax twice, headlined multiple Tokyo Dome shows, successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a record 12 times and has been the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history. Okada doesn't have anything left to prove in New Japan and we believe that he should move on newer pastures.
But, there is a catch as Okada has a very bad experience of working in North America as he was heavily underused during his time in TNA as part of his foreign excursion, which was a major reason why New Japan severed its ties with the promotion. The experience has certainly left a bad taste in the mouth for the Rainmaker but the recent change in New Japan management has reported having rubbed a lot of talent the or no way, especially the Japanese stars. Add to that, Okada's close friendship with The Bucks and AEW could possibly end up signing one of the biggest stars in the business today. Okada is a well-known face across the globe and would be the biggest catch for AEW.
