5 Big names who could show up at AEW Dynamite premiere

Today kicks off one of the most historical weeks in the history of pro wrestling, as RAW celebrates its season premiere, NXT enters its third week on USA Network with its first full two hour broadcast on the network, SmackDown moves to Friday nights on FOX Sports, and All Elite Wrestling premieres its new Dynamite show on TNT.

With all of the hype surrounding the various premieres in pro wrestling this week, All Elite Wrestling likely carries the most significant amount of hype as a 'new league rises' on TV, creating a new war dubbed The Wednesday Night Wars.

Talents and matches have been announced for all the big pro wrestling events taking place this week, but there are likely a few surprises in store for the shows, especially AEW.

Given the above, let's take a look at 5 wrestlers who could show up on All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite premiere episode this Wednesday night.

#5 James Ellsworth

James Ellsworth is one of the most unlikely WWE Superstars ever to gain fame in the promotion, and he holds the nearly impossible distinction of defeating AJ Styles on numerous occasions while Styles was the WWE Champion.

Ellsworth rose to fame during his run in WWE, which included a famous run alongside his heel partner Carmella, and left the company back in July of 2018 after being 'fired' on TV by then-SmackDown GM Paige.

Ellsworth made a one-off appearance at the SmackDown 1,000 special episode, and since then has somewhat disappeared from the pro wrestling spotlight. His last match came at Bound for Glory last year, where he lost a singles match to Eli Drake.

Could James Ellsworth make an appearance at AEW Dynamite this week? It might be a long shot, but given Ellsworth is not under contract to any wrestling company right now, it could happen.

#4 Joey Ryan

Joey Ryan is one of the reigning kings of independent wrestling, and while did make an appearance at All In in 2018, which was considered the debut All Elite Wrestling event despite AEW not having officially launched at the time of the PPV, Ryan remains un-signed to any major wrestling promotion and prefers to work on the independent scene.

Earlier this year, Ryan appeared on Sam Roberts' NotSam Wrestling show and explained why he decided to turn down an offer to sign with All Elite Wrestling.

I’d be taking a pay cut and essentially start over. We’ve had discussions about and it just didn’t make sense. It just felt like I’d be irresponsible to myself and where I’m at with my life, finances, my geography, and creativity. It would be a gamble that I don’t really necessarily need to take.

Rumors also circulated earlier this year that WWE had offered him a deal, and Ryan explained that he chose not to sign, saying "there are a lot of different avenues that you can go to and I don’t want to be quick to jump on anything because I’m worried. I don’t want to get scared into something that might not be the best fit for me."

Given the above, it's very possible Joey Ryan could make an appearance at AEW Dynamite this week if he has changed his stance on working with the company.

#3 Enzo Amore

Former WWE star Enzo Amore has been keeping his name relevant since leaving the company, although fans might think the former Cruiserweight Champion is doing himself more harm than good.

Enzo, now known on the independent scene as nZo, left WWE back at the beginning of 2018 when he was released from the company due to behavioral issues, and for allegedly keeping sexual assault allegations hidden from WWE officials. Enzo was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing following the assault allegations, and he has since been releasing music and remaining very vocal both publicly and on social media.

A couple months ago, it looked like both Enzo Amore and his former tag team partner Big Cass might be staging a return to wrestling, but Cass recently suffered setback in the form of a backstage incident with Joey Janela at an independent event, and Cass has since removed himself from the spotlight in order to focus on his personal issues.

While it might seem like a long shot for someone like Enzo Amore to appear at AEW Dynamite this week, an appearance from the outspoken and brash former WWE star could make waves in the business and help generate buzz for the new TV show.

#2 Austin Aries

Former WWE star Austin Aries left the company back in 2017 after requesting his release from the company due to creative frustrations.

Aries joined other names such as Neville, who were not happy with being pigeonholed to the WWE 205 Live brand, and wanted to ascend the ranks of the ladder in the company without being limited to Cruiserweight action.

Following his departure from WWE, Aries returned to his former home of Impact Wrestling, and won the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight title. Aries lost the title Johnny Impact at Bound For Glory in 2018, and the bout ended up being Aries' last match in Impact.

Since leaving Impact Wrestling, Aries has made sporadic appearances on the independent wrestling scene, and in May of this year it was announced that Aries has signed with MLW, and he made his debut at this year's Fury Road PPV, defeating Adam Brooks.

While it appears as if Aries is signed with MLW for the time being, given his history of requesting releases from companies, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Aries to leave Major League Wrestling in favor of a surprise appearance at AEW Dynamite this week.

#1 Jack Swagger

Former WWE World Champion and All American American Jack Swagger has kept himself busy since leaving WWE by parlaying his pro wrestling career into a successful MMA career.

Back on November 13, 2017, Swagger, real name Jake Hager, announced that he had signed a deal with Bellator MMA to fight in the promotion's heavyweight division.

Since signing the fight deal, Hager has competed in two fights and has emerged victorious in both bouts. It is expected that Hager will be facing Anthony Garrett at Bellator 231 on October 25th, 2019, but the match has yet to be announced officially.

Following his newfound career in Bellator, Swagger kept his pro wrestling career mostly mum until he signed with Lucha Underground in 2018 and went on to become Lucha Underground Champion under the ring name "The Savage" Jake Strong.

Despite being the reigning Lucha Underground Champion, a new report from Sports Illustrated claims Jack Swagger could make a surprise appearance at AEW Dynamite this week.

"A potential surprise for AEW’s premiere on TNT, Sports Illustrated has learned, is Jake Hager, better known from his WWE run as Jack Swagger. An ardent Trump supporter and legitimate big guy, Hager would fit in nicely as a villain for the promotion. He would also add depth to the card, and his work in Bellator MMA could have crossover appeal for AEW."

Who else would you like to see show up at AEW Dynamite this week?

Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!