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Since forming in January 2019, AEW has made big headlines in the pro wrestling world, making it clear that they want to take WWE head-on. They have a television deal, broadcast at the same time as WWE's NXT show, and have signed quite a few talented wrestlers.
There have been several Superstars from WWE who have jumped ship to join the rival brand, while former WWE Superstars have also joined the Tony Khan-led company. The likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Pac, Shawn Spears, and more recently, Matt Hardy and Brodie Lee, have all joined AEW from WWE.
There are more Superstars whose contract with WWE expires this year, who could join AEW, while they could also ask for their release from Vince McMahon's company, and join AEW by the end of 2020.
Let's take a look at 7 current and former WWE Superstars who could join AEW by the end of 2020:
#7 Gran Metalik
Gran Metalik, one of the three members of Lucha House Party, could be on his way out of WWE later this year. Metalik's contract expires in June this year, and it seems like he is eager to leave the company.
Metalik tweeted last year about his contract set to expire in reply to Kalisto's tweet, where he said that he will become a free agent in 10 months. But, with Kalisto suffering an injury recently, WWE will most likely add a few months to his contract.
Metalik though will most likely leave later in the year, and one destination for him could be AEW. AEW's mid-card could use a talented wrestler like Gran Metalik in their roster. And with AEW having a tie-up with AAA, a popular Mexican Lucha Libre promotion, Metalik could even have matches there.
#6 & #5 The Revival
It's quite clear that The Revival, the former RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team champions are unhappy at how they are being used in WWE, and will most likely leave the company when their contracts expire later this year.
The duo's contract is reportedly set to expire in April 2020 as per Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer (via WhatCulture). They filed trademarks for two things associated with them "#FTRKO" and the name of their finisher, Shatter Machine, earlier this year. This is a clear indication that they want to take their likeness elsewhere.
The Revival and AEW's The Young Bucks have talked about facing each other for quite a few years, but they have never had the opportunity to do so because they have not been in the same promotion.
Nick Jackson even spoke about their rivalry in a recent appearance on ESPN West Palm:
“For me, the obvious one whenever people talk about the dream match that never happened would be us and The Revival because I feel like there’s some real-life tension there, and I don’t know if it’s competitive or friendly or whatever it is."
#4 & #3 The Ascension
The Ascension, who came through FCW, before moving to NXT and then the main roster, were finally granted their release from WWE in December last year. After being off TV for several months, they were finally let go by WWE.
While speaking to WrestlingInc earlier this month, Konnor said that the duo will be back on TV soon, but didn't reveal with whom and said that it would be a surprise.
"We haven't mentioned it. If we do anything, we want it to be a surprise. We will be back on TV. I'm not gonna say with who, but it's gonna be great. It's gonna be awesome. We're going back to our old ways. We get to be us. It's gonna be awesome no doubt about it."
We can narrow it down to two, with AEW and TNA being the only other big wrestling promotions with a TV deal. And, at the moment, AEW seems like the better choice for The Ascension, who could have some exciting feuds with the many tag teams that are there on the promotion.
#2 Rusev
A popular Superstar who is currently negotiating a new deal with WWE is Rusev. It seems that there has been a contract issue between the three-time US Champion and WWE, and there could be a possibility of him leaving the company.
The former United States champion had "soon to be free agent" as his bio on Twitter, which he later removed, but he had caused a lot of flutter. After the love triangle storyline featuring his real-life wife Lana, and Bobby Lashley, Rusev hasn't been on seen on TV.
He was also set to be a part of Super ShowDown last month, but he reportedly pulled out of the show due to a "back injury" at the last minute. Dave Meltzer reported last month that his absence from TV is due to the contract dispute and Rusev himself revealed last month that he is not injured.
Lana signed a new five-year deal with WWE, but Rusev's WWE future is not secure yet. Rusev is clearly a Superstar with a strong gimmick and good in-ring ability, and AEW would love to bring him in, and he could even challenge for a title in the company.
#1 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio, who returned to WWE two years ago, could leave WWE later this year as his contract expires in September. He also has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave 18 months into his contract. Mysterio has not been involved in too many high-profile feuds in his return, barring his brief feud with Brock Lesnar.
Last year, Dave Meltzer revealed that the WWE legend could go to AEW if he's not put in a good feud or not being used well.
“I mean if they’re gonna treat him like this they’ll die if he goes to AEW. I mean he’ll go there in a heartbeat and they won’t abuse him there because those guys love him. So it’s kinda like, what are you doing?”
Cody Rhodes, one of AEW's vice presidents, laid out an ultimatum to WWE last year, that if they don't take care of Mysterio, that he would try to sign him.
“I hope they do right by Rey, because if they don’t, I’m gonna steal that son of a b---h right off of them. Hashtag contract tampering.”
While speaking to TalkSport last year, Mysterio praised Jericho and said that the first-ever AEW World Champion is one of his friends, while another of Mysterio's old buddies, Dean Malenko, is also in AEW.
