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Even though the first wave of pro wrestling free agency has come and gone, several wrestlers become free agents during various times throughout the year. A big coup for the rights of wrestlers happened recently when Lucha Underground agreed to settlements to the three lawsuits filed against it by five of its talents.
Due to the settlements of the lawsuits, Kobra Moon (Thunder Rosa), Joey Ryan, Ivelisse, Texano Jr. and El Hijo Del Fantasma (King Cuerno) all became free agents this week. In addition to those five superstars, others have contracts that have expired over the last month or so.
With the second half of WWE's season set to take place no that WrestleMania has concluded, could WWE look to add more to its roster especially if more talent is let go? The company announced that there will be a third Mae Young Classic, so several female wrestlers who have become available could be signed merely for that tournament or for long-term deals in WWE.
Here are eight wrestlers who could be signed by the WWE at any moment for either the main roster, NXT or a Mae Young Classic appearance.
#8 Kobra Moon
If there is one thing that any of the WWE women's divisions is lacking is masked or face-painted superstars. Kobra Moon/Thunder Rosa wrestles with both. As Kobra Moon in Lucha Underground and WOW, she portrays the leader of the Snake Tribe.
Wrestling as Thunder Rosa, she paints her face when tagging with Holidead or by herself. She's a talented luchadora who blends her strikes well with technical moves, and she could possibly be a part of the third Mae Young Classic.
WWE does have a lot of talented women throughout its various brands, but as I mentioned above, there aren't any who uses masks. The use of a mask can create an aura of mystery around a superstar and can eventually lead to a reveal angle when a rivalry is so fierce that it deems it necessary.
#7 Texano Jr.
Texano Jr. has been a fixture in AAA and Lucha Underground. He also appeared in Impact a year or two ago when AAA superstars began appearing in the Impact Zone. Along with El Hijo Del Fantasma, the Lucha Brothers and Drago, AAA was starting to gain a huge influence in the promotion that was still trying to find its footing after years of mismanagement.
While he didn't get a lot of featured matches per se, in Lucha Underground, Texano Jr. was on full display. He's a brawler, a striker and a tough man to keep down. He's participated in a lot of hardcore type matches that WWE used to feature back in the day but now are only reduced to a few PPVs a year. Texano Jr. might follow a lot of the other Lucha Underground wrestlers to Major League Wrestling as they have a diverse type of matches that he would be perfect for.
El Dragon Azteca Jr., the Lucha Brothers, Joey Ryan and Sami Callihan have all been featured in MLW during the hiatus of LU, so perhaps he follows them there. Or he might stick to bookings in Mexico, but if he wants to truly branch out and make a name for himself outside of Mexico, he may be looking to sign on with WWE, Impact or Ring of Honor.
#6 Joey Ryan
Joey Ryan is the epitome of the 'indie wrestler'. He hasn't tied himself down to one big promotion, instead choosing to work for various promotions throughout the US and Mexico. Due to his overly-sexualized gimmick, that's probably the best choice for him. He makes enough money doing exactly this and even helped found the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion in his home state of California.
Ryan is actually a great 'character' inside the ring, but he's an extremely helpful and vocal advocate for indie wrestlers outside of it. He was a part of TNA's 'Gut Check' but surprisingly didn't get a full-time contract even though he was clearly the most gifted overall performer during that segment.
Think Patrick Clark getting the boot from Tough Enough. Ryan likely doesn't want to go to WWE and the WWE might not even have him on their radar, but he's a proven name that would draw eyes to the product, especially if they are looking to up the rating from PG.
#5 Ivelisse
Ivelisse tried her hand in both Impact and the WWE prior to gaining notoriety in promotions like Lucha Underground, Shine and Shimmer. Like Ryan, she was a part of 'Gut Check' during a brief stint in Impact, but once again, Impact chose the wrong person when they picked Lei'd Tapa over Ivelisse to get a contract.
And even before that, Ivelisse was a part of the Tough Enough season from 2011 but had some trouble with injuries. To put in perspective the success of that version of the show, only Ariane Andrew (Cameron) ever made it to the main roster. Ivelisse did spend time as Sofia Cortez in the early stages of NXT and latter stages of FCW, but left, as many did, due to issues with Bill DeMott.
Would she even consider going back to WWE given her unhappiness back in the day? A lot of things have changed since then, but sometimes a bad taste sticks in your mouth forever. She's a great talent all around, is well-versed in lucha moves, submissions and strikes, so WWE would be crazy not to pursue her, whether for a full-time gig or the MYC 3.
#4 Tenille Dashwood (Emma)
One of the most misused females in WWE over the last five years had to be Emma. She fought Paige for the inaugural NXT Women's Championship which has to speak to how Triple H thought of her since Paige went on to main roster success in her limited run.
While on the main roster, she was mostly used as a stepping stone for a lot of the faces like Bayley and Asuka but was more talented than she was given credit for. As a heel, she seemed more comfortable, but when it became apparent to management that they felt she couldn't pull off the 'Emmalina' gimmick, her days were numbered.
Since leaving the WWE, she appeared in ROH and was getting a good push towards the Women of Honor Championship. But due to several factors out of her control including a rare disease and an injury, she had to take a lot of time off to heal.
She came back as a member of Lifeblood but her run came to and end recently as she became a free agent. If she even wants to go back to WWE, she could merely compete in the MYC, but if she feels that she has more to accomplish in WWE, she'd be a great pick up by the company if they managed her a lot better the second time around.
#3 King Cuerno (El Hijo Del Fantasma)
One of the most ready-for-WWE superstars who gained release from LU is King Cuerno/El Hijo Del Fantasma.
He's a bigger luchador than say, Andrade, but can still pull of the high-flying moves and stiff strikes when needed.
If you haven't seen his 'Arrow From the Depths of Hell', just look at it below:
He has been on their radar before, apparently as they offered him a spot in the Cruiserweight Classic a couple of years ago.
Whether it's as King Cuerno, Fantasma or someone completely new, he has a diverse and explosive move set that would fit in greatly with a lot of the performers currently in WWE (Ricochet, Aleister Black, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio).
Like Texano Jr. and several others from AAA he had a brief run in Impact and even challenged for the X Division Championship. It might be a matter of when and not if regarding the Cuerno and WWE.
#2 Eli Drake
The most complete name of this list is undoubtedly Eli Drake. He was slated to become a free agent next month but was released by Impact Wrestling over the weekend. He got his start in WWE's developmental way back in the latter 2000s and even crossed paths with Paul Bearer in NWA and Championship Wrestling From Hollywood. Drake also competed on and won The Rock's reality show the Hero in 2013.
With the departure of numerous wrestlers from Impact over the last few years, there would be no shortage of superstars with which he could be paired or feud with. From EC3, Drew McIntyre, Trevor Lee and DJZ, he's been featured with or against all of the former Impact stars now in WWE. But Drake's greatest ability is that on the mic. He's like a fit Kevin Owens in that he's great in the ring and arguably better on the mic.
He's a condescending heel in the vein of The Miz when he has been a heel, but he's a slightly more athletic and powerful Miz. Drake might not want to return to WWE due to his unhappiness with his run in developmental, but as mentioned previously before, a whole lot has changed in WWE and NXT since he was last there.
He'd be a great addition to NXT or the main roster provided he doesn't get buried like EC3 appears to have been. A contract offer allegedly was made to Drake, but rumors suggest he turned it down.
#1 Michael Elgin
Big Mike was released recently from New Japan Wrestling but reportedly has already been in talks with WWE. He made his mark in the likes of Ring of Honor and other various independent promotions throughout the United States, but has been featured in NJPW over the last couple of years.
Elgin was an ally of Hiroshi Tanahashi and had slugfests against the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and even Kenny Omega. If you aren't familiar with him, he's like a stouter, shorter version of Braun Strowman who is extremely powerful. He's be a good opponent based solely on strength for someone like the former Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley.
WWE is always reloading its roster, but not everyone would find success on the main roster. Since Elgin isn't in the mold of WWE superstars like John Cena or Randy Orton, he might get a chance but the jury is out as to how far he could go in WWE.
