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All Elite Wrestling are up and running and their first ever pay-per-view was a huge success. As many as 18 former WWE stars featured on the show while Bret Hart, DDP and Jim Ross were also played a part.
AEW are the new competition for WWE now and with the new promotion offering big bucks, lesser dates to work and also sticking to pure pro-wrestling, it has caught the attention of a lot of WWE stars.
Jon Moxley fka Dean Ambrose is the latest and the most shocking one to make the jump and he certainly wont be the last one. A lot of WWE stars are eyeing a move to AEW and here are the top 9 who might make the jump soon:
#9 & #8 – Maria & Mike Kanellis
“Contracts are up in 3 weeks. Just saying...” a simple tweet from Maria Kanellis last night was enough to start the speculations. The former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion and her husband, Mike Kanellis are set to become free agents soon and where better to go than AEW?
Mike and Maria were big stars in Impact Wrestling and NJPW but the move to WWE did not prove to be a fruitful one. The husband and wife duo were set to make a huge debut after weeks of promos but he was sent to rehab and she got pregnant, thus postponing their storyline indefinetly.
They made their return in mid-2018 but were never really used on the main roster. Mike was performing in live events while Maria was in the ring once – at WWE Evolution. Reports suggested that they asked for their release in January, 2019 but it was all squashed by Maria within days.
Now with their contracts up and AEW looking for more star power in the ranks, the duo is very likely to head to the new promotion unless NJPW or Impact Wrestling make a good offer.
#7 – Luke Harper
Luke Harper is one of the best talents who was never used to his full potential by WWE. From being a part of the Wyatt Family in his early days in WWE to becoming the tag team champions with Eric Rowan as the Bludgeon Brothers, Harper has done a lot but just not enough.
He has already confirmed that he has requested his release but WWE have reportedly denied his request to be released and added months based on the ones he missed due to injury.
It's clear that he will not be signing a new deal and the timing of his release was enough for the fans to think that he was looking for a move to AEW. Even if he was released when he requested [mid-April] there was no way he was going to perform at AEW Double or Nothing.
But one thing clear is that he can be back to his best if he joins AEW as there could be a lot of opportunities for him there.
#6 & #5 – Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
One WWE star who is actually excited about All Elite Wrestling is Karl Anderson. The former Bullet Club member has worked closely with The Young Bucks and tweeted out saying he was missing them after AEW Double or Nothing.
Along with Luke Gallows, Anderson is likely to be out of contract soon. Both of them have rejected new contracts and they are set to become free agents. Reports suggest that their current deals run out in a couple of months.
AEW is their likely destination as The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes know how good these two are. They can be the ones to take charge of the tag-team division for AEW.
Just like Jon Moxley, fka Dean Ambrose. they needn't wait for 90 days of noncompete clause after their WWE contracts are up since they are not being released and are actually seeing out their deal.
#4 – Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks is another WWE superstar who has been indirectly tweeting about All Elite Wrestling. The former WWE Women's champion was active on Twitter during AEW Double or Nothing and it looks like she wants to join them too.
She first tweeted when the show started – about 25-30 mins in – and then was clearly following the PPV.
Her next tweet when Brandi Rhodes introduced Awesome Kong as the 4th participant in the Women's match.
And of course, she had to send one out after the match as well!
She is currently on a break from WWE after deciding to walk away. Banks and Bayley were asked to drop the tag-team titles to The IIconics at WrestleMania and that was something Sasha did not like.
Things have not improved between the two parties and reports suggest that Banks and WWE are no longer in talks as well. She has reportedly asked for her release and if granted, she would jump to AEW in a heartbeat.
#3 & #2 – The Revival
Was there any doubt about these two being on the list? The Revival and The Young Bucks have been tweeting to each other for a long time now and they will be having their 'dream match' soon.
Reports suggest that The Revival have their contract up some time next year and they have already rejected the new deals offered to them. Rumours were going around that they had asked for their release early this year but were asked to wait and see what plans WWE had for them.
They were given the push until WrestleMania but once they rejected the deals offered to them, they were back to square one. They have made it clear that they are looking to leave WWE and their next destination, without a doubt, is set to be All Elite Wrestling.
#1 – Randy Orton
Randy Orton is another WWE Superstar whose contract with the company is coming to an end. The Viper has around 6-7 months left and AEW have already shown interest in signing him.
Here’s what Fightful‘s Sean Ross Sapp had to say about AEW's interest back in February:
“Now they did not reveal the name and I know who the name is. Now before I get into this, I am not saying that this person was offered a AEW deal. I’m not saying that happened because I don’t if that happened. In fact, I asked people in AEW about this and I was told, “We are not tampering. We are not doing that. Our approach is fresh and independent is the goal for a majority of our recruitment. What you’re likely seeing is a particular agent trying to leverage more money out of WWE by possibly planting shit like this. What I was told this afternoon, was that Randy Orton has been openly discussing his willingness to speak with All Elite Wrestling.”
WWE are confident that they can get Orton to sign a new deal but with the Viper already working a lot less dates than the other stars who appear regularly on the show, they might not be able to reduce the dates even more.
AEW, on the other hand, might be able to offer him a lot less dates and at the same time, the same amount of money WWE are to offer.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
