AEW Is Signing Away Several Former WWE Superstars And That’s Perfectly Fine

With the Friday release of The Revival, All Elite Wrestling is once again presented with a situation where a disgruntled former WWE Superstar has fallen into its lap. If you’ve read the tea leaves, AEW will all but likely move forward in signing the uber-talented tag team.

Despite concerns over WWE potentially freezing their contracts due to injury, both Scott Dawson and Sash Wilder are free to work with any promotion they want and are not under a non-compete clause, as suggested by WWE’s “immediate release” language.

With the Wednesday Night Wars creating a heated divide between (mostly male) AEW and NXT fans, the NXT contingent has criticized AEW for its reliance on former WWE Superstars. The criticism was so prominent, it forced a response from AEW Executive Vice President Cody:

“Talent is talent. Merit based company [sic],” tweeted Cody.

“We have a great roster from all types of places(mainly blossoming independent stars). It’s a great balance.”

Cody’s comments are a far cry from earlier sentiments that only 5% of WWE talents would be signed to AEW contracts, a number he admittedly noted would hopefully increase:

“Honestly, I’ve kind of jokingly said that it is five percent and I’m talking Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, maybe a few others. It’s not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful, but like I have been talking, you have to be able to cut it and meet the standard that people have into their bell-to-bell contest. That number may increase, being that this opportunity that exists for the boys and girls to make more money, whether here [AEW] or there [WWE], for the boys and girls to have options. That number may increase.”

With The Revival very likely to be AEW-bound, that number has more less exploded as PAC, Shawn Spears, Luke Harper, Cody, Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Dustin Rhodes and current world champion Jon Moxley currently headline the list of former WWE Superstars signed to AEW.

And while Cody feels the need to defend AEW’s signing spree, there is nothing wrong with AEW taking in a former WWE Superstar or 10. In fact, the caveat that wrestlers now have another mainstream option justifies AEW’s very existence.

With the emergence of AEW, the the economy of pro wrestling has transformed as we know it. WWE is now overpaying to keep undercard performers who would have never inked the type of massive six-figure deals under the monopolistic pro wrestling industry that existed as recently as last year. WWE reportedly offered The Revival upwards of $700,000 apiece in a since-failed effort to keep the team from jumping ship.

AEW should be embracing its status as possible sanctuary for former WWE Superstars. As long as there is a pecking order established, and former WWE Superstars don’t emerge as the true stars of AEW for years to come, the promotion should have no reservations about signing WWE malcontents. What’s important is for AEW to maintain its identity and continue to promote former WWE Superstars in its own image.

The fact that only former WWE world champions have held AEW’s top title is a situation worth monitoring, but AEW has done a commendable job of establishing itself as a viable alternative for disillusioned fans of WWE.

There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a viable alternative for the men and women who actually make a living from this sport.