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It's a great time to be a pro wrestling fan. The same statement, in all honesty, doesn't apply to Vince McMahon though. Sitting back in a cozy office in Stamford Connecticut, the WWE head honcho would surely be getting uneasy throwbacks of the Monday Night Wars.
It's too soon to jump to conclusions, but All Elite Wrestling is making all the right noises as they look to offer a large section of dissatisfied Sports Entertainment fans a viable alternative of pro wrestling. WWE is a global brand; and AEW, despite all the palpable hype, has a long way to go before they can even think of giving WWE a run for their money. For starters, AEW hasn't even had their first proper show yet.
That doesn't mean there is no potential because as stated earlier, AEW is the talk of the town and that is partly due to its aggressive talent poaching strategies. Backed by the filthy rich Khan Familly, Cody Rhodes and co. have set their eyes on mustering up their roster with top talents from around the world. They aren't even shying away from going after current WWE Superstars such as Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. The audacity!
In addition to stars who are on WWE's payroll, AEW has also approached former WWE Superstars with contracts that would make Floyd Mayweather consider a full-time pro wrestling gig. This slider takes a look at those former WWE names that have reportedly had talks with AEW's management. It should be noted that stars such as Chris Jericho and Neville, who have already confirmed to be a part of AEW, have not been included in this list.
#1. Jack Swagger
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion has taken to MMA like Jon Jones to Turinabol. Swagger put on an impressive display of his amateur wrestling background in his MMA debut as he finished of JW Kiser with the Arm Triangle Choke in the very first round at Bellator 214.
Despite being a fighter now, Swagger hasn't completely given up on his pro wrestling traits as he used the 'We the People' catchphrase and also had R-Truth accompany him to the cage at Bellator 214.
It seems like Swagger still has a bit of sports entertainment left in him. He revealed in one of his pre-fight interviews about his talks with Cody Rhodes regarding joining AEW. Swagger mentioned that his rigorous MMA training hasn't allowed him to think of a parallel wrestling career. However, it is possible as made evident by Bobby Lashley, who worked for both Bellator and TNA at one point in time.
The talks have happened and it will be interesting to see whether they do materialize in the near future. For now, Swagger is focussed on his second MMA fight which will take place at Bellator 221 against T.J. Jones.
#2. Batista
As appealing as it looks, every WWE Superstar who makes it big in the glitzy world of Hollywood eventually returns to experience the irreplaceable high of pro wrestling. Batista is certainly one of those men.
The former WWE Champion has expressed his desire to come back to WWE for his swan song against Triple H, and even visited the WWE HQ to work out a potential deal. Both parties are reportedly in 'deep talks'.
However, AEW is lurking in the background. The upstart promotion is reportedly interested in getting the 50-year-old WWE veteran on board and has already made their move.
As cliched as it may sound, Batista recently 'hanging out' with AEW's marquee star Chris Jericho have only added to fuel to fire:
Batista is a big name who won't come cheap but sadly for WWE, the Khan family has deep pockets, possibly deeper than the McMahon family. The Animal wants to end his career with the WWE and that's a known fact. However, if the negotiations fall apart and if it turns into a bidding war between WWE and AEW, we may have a surprise winner on our hands.
#3. Goldberg
You can stack your roster with indie darlings but that won't get you mainstream attention; it will only end up making you look like Ring of Honor with better production value. Owner of AEW, Tony Khan knows all too well that having someone with the star power of Goldberg will help AEW reach a potentially larger audience, which is why the promotion has already targeted the former WCW star as a possible signing.
Khan didn't deny the fact that the talks were initiated and backstage sources too have confirmed that they have indeed taken place. Goldberg's latest wrestling excursion with WWE strengthened his value and bank balance. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and has since gone AWOL.
The former WWE Universal Champion (remember when it happened?) is a savvy businessman, who saw the opportunity to rake in the big bucks and cashed in on a feud with Brock Lesnar. Chris Jericho was offered the most profitable contract of his career, and we're sure the deal tabled for Goldberg too could be too good to refuse.
Will Vince McMahon let it happen though? That's the big question.
#4. CM Punk
Did you expect someone else? Well, sorry, but the rumors of 'CM Punk's possible return' will never die. NEVER!
The Cult of Personality may want nothing to do with pro wrestling, but pro wrestling wants all of him! Dave Meltzer revealed that AEW had contacted Punk regarding the possibility of making his way back to wrestling.
There are a few complications though. Punk is still contracted with the UFC despite the fact that he may never step foot inside the Octagon again. He made his MMA commentary debut for the UFC affiliated Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) in November 2018 and is dabbling in other ventures such acting.
Pro wrestling, though, doesn't excite the 40-year-old former WWE Champion as it used to during his prime. That hasn't stopped AEW from reaching out to Punk. They are as stubborn as Punk is with his hate towards WWE.
The only wrestling Punk is scheduled to do would be a thumb wrestling match against Marty Scurll sometime between March 22nd to 24th at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
What a troll!
AEW's first show, Double or Nothing is slated for May 25th,2019 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Which former WWE star could we see show up at the momentous occasions? Sound off in the comments section below.
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