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Free agent season is about to hit full steam this week. Some wrestlers have already resigned with their current promotions (Silas Young, Jay Lethal) while others have taken their talents elsewhere.
In between some of the reported signings have been claims by certain wrestlers have turned down offers from WWE. Their reasoning might be different for doing so, but not every free agent ends up signing with WWE.
There are more options than ever regarding places for wrestlers to make their names. While it was once mainly only WWE and WCW, we now have Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Major League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, CMLL, AAA, NJPW, All Japan Pro Wrestling and several other promotions around the world.
Just because someone doesn't sign with WWE right away doesn't mean they won't sign with the company in the future. Here are wrestlers who have either declined offers from WWE or who have decided to wrestle elsewhere in 2019.
Silas Young
Although he hasn't been the biggest name in Ring of Honor over the last five years, Young has been a solid roster piece around which ROH has built.
He is a trusted veteran who can feud with the young up-and-comers like Flip Gordon while also feuding with some of the top stars of the promotion like Jay Lethal.
Young confirmed signing a new three-year deal with ROH after his current deal was set to expire at the end of 2018.
PWInsider noted Young's decision in a report from the end of November after interviewing Young. Young is pushing 40 but that hasn't stopped WWE from signing the likes of Bobby Fish or Bobby Roode, who are both over 40.
ROH has been loyal to Young and it appeared that Young wanted to pay back ROH with his loyalty of signing a new deal with the promotion.
“The wrestling scene now is super-hot right now and I’m a big believer in loyalty. Ring of Honor gave me an opportunity five-six years back and every opportunity I’ve been given since, I’ve succeeded with. I’m the type of guy that likes to stick with the team that brought me to the table, to stick with the team that believed in me from the get-go. I’m really happy to announce I am staying with Ring of Honor.”
Rush/Bandido
Uber-talented Mexican wrestler Rush was reportedly offered a contract from the WWE at some point in 2018. He's one of the top stars in CMLL and leads the popular faction Los Ingobernables.
Rumors surfaced, however, from several sources including Wrestlingnews.co that one of his best friends, Andrade Almas, was the main reason for El Toro Blanco turning down a deal from WWE. Almas was reported to be upset with his spot in WWE and that helped Rush decided not to sign.
Instead, Rush has continued to ply his craft in both CMLL and recently this year, Major League Wrestling. He's slated to have a huge match with LA Park in March.
The talented luchador Bandido was reportedly offered a deal by WWE but he turned them down. WrestlingInc.com reported on the deal.
Instead, he decided to sign with Ring of Honor. Bandido was part of the main event of All In where he teamed with Rey Mysterio and Rey Fenix against Kota Ibushi and the Young Bucks.
He's also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Lucha Libre Elite and the Crash promotion of Mexico. Bandido has also appeared for Dragon Gate and many other independent promotions in the world.
Jay Lethal/Flip Gordon
Both Jay Lethal and Cody were slated to become free agents once their current deals expired at the end of 2018. The strange part that was that both men were in the main event at Final Battle, wrestling for Lethal's ROH World Title.
While Cody opted not to sign a new deal with ROH, Lethal did so before his title win, opting to stay with ROH by signing a new deal close to a month before his showdown with Cody. Fitghtful.com and other news outlets carried the report.
Like Lethal, Flip Gordon has been a part of ROH for the last two years. He initially started out as a high-flying, smiling babyface, but his recent feuds with Bully Ray have turned him into a face with an edge. He's stood up to the likes of Bully Ray and Silas Young and in doing so, he gained the respect of the entire ROH locker room.
Since he is still relatively new to pro wrestling, he opted to resign with ROH earlier in the year according to several sites, including WrestlingInc.com. He'll be given more opportunities with a lot of wrestlers departing (the Elite, Punishment Martinez, Chris Daniels) the company.
If Gordon continues to grow his profile during his new deal with ROH, he'll likely be heavily pursued by WWE once his new deal with ROH expires.
Tetsuya Naito
Naito revealed that WWE approached him with a contract offer after the Dominion Event in June of 2018. He declined, saying that he'd rather help grow NJPW in Japan and around the world. Several sources, including SEScoops, noted Naito's decision.
It's good for NJPW because he's been one of the company's top wrestlers for the last few years. He's like the antihero who takes on threats both foreign (Chris Jericho) and domestic (Suzuki-Gun, Hirooki Goto, etc.).
While he hasn't had as many runs with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he probably should have, he's been a trusted star for the company whether in the main event or in the mid-card.
Seeing how Shinsuke Nakamura has been booked may have had a factor in Naito's decision to remain with NJPW. Or perhaps he never considered signing with WWE. Only he knows.
He's challenging Chris Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13, so gold might be in his immediate future if Jericho is going to try wrestling elsewhere.
The Elite
Almost all of the members of the Elite - Kenny Omega, Cody, the Young Bucks and Adam Page - have been adamant about staying away from WWE.
They've made their own mark on the pro wrestling business outside of the worldwide juggernaut and feel that they do not need to validate their careers by going to WWE.
Cody and the Young Bucks have also allegedly turned down big offers from WWE, according to Fightful and the Wrestling News Observer, instead preferring to dip their feet into the potential creation of their own promotion. While that may be true, it could also be a smokescreen to make a potential signing elsewhere or with WWE all the more unexpected.
The members of the Elite have proven to be a rather formidable force in independent pro wrestling, so it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if they create their own promotion.
Only one thing is really known for sure - they are all done with Ring of Honor and potentially New Japan Pro Wrestling. Omega's contract isn't up until almost the end of January, so any speculation regarding his status will have to wait until a little longer than the rest of the group.
Only Marty Scurll remains in both ROH and NJPW. It might be a blessing for him in that he can finally ascend to a main-event star rather than a supporting member of a group.
Hiroshi Tanahashi
According to a report from WrestlingInc and the man himself, Tanahashi is staying in NJPW.
He announced the new contract last week, solidifying his spot in the company he's helped carry for the last 15 years. Although he's 'passed the torch' to Kazuchika Okada, he's still always lingering around the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture. He'll challenge Kenny Omega for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 13 on January 4.
Since Omega's current deal with NJPW expires at the end of January 2019, it wouldn't be much of a shock to see Tanahashi pick up his eighth IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Someone other than Okada needs to carry the belt if Omgea leaves, and Tanahashi is more than capable of doing so.
Tanahashi might have also been one of the top NJPW stars that were reportedly offered deals by WWE, but we won't know unless either side says as much.
