AEW Wrestlers Who Would Be Great Additions To The WWE
For the first time in over 20 years, wrestling fans were graced with a second truly viable and national professional wrestling promotion when AEW Dynamite debuted in 2019. The creation of AEW certainly gave fans a lot to talk about, but it gave pro wrestlers a key ingredient to their success, too: Competition.
AEW was not and is not in the same stratosphere as WWE when it comes to brand building, history, and a multitude of other factors. However, because AEW has proven itself to be a formidable competitor, they have been able to successfully commandeer key pieces of talent from WWE. Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Miro, Saraya, Bryan Danielson, and many others jumped ship to the green pastures of AEW when given the opportunity.
Just like in any good competition, though, momentum will shift the other direction at some point, and the greener pastures of WWE will speak loudly to AEW talent looking for a promotion as a talent and a thicker check with more zeros on it. These are the AEW wrestlers that would be great additions to the WWE.
The Acclaimed
Like the scissor gimmick or don't, but The Acclaimed's popularity is undeniable at this point. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens are homegrown AEW talents, but the bright lights of WWE could conceivably lure them away one day, and they'd be a steal for Paul Levesque.
The Acclaimed are young, but not too young: Young enough where there is a large chunk of time left on their bump cards, but not too young, where Levesque would have to worry about raising two kids in the corporate business environment that WWE has become.
Outside of their age, The Acclaimed have dollar signs written all over them, especially with the WWE hype machine behind them. Just think of the merchandise. Foam fingers? Nah, how about foam scissors instead? The Acclaimed gimmick plays within the walls of the WWE, too. Caster's rapping would likely have to be sterilized a bit for WWE's style of programming, but even watered down words wouldn't halt momentum that the gimmick itself could sustain.
The Acclaimed vs. The Usos, The Acclaimed vs. New Day, The Acclaimed vs. Street Profits, and more. Book it.
Jade Cargill
If WWE could carve a wrestler out of marble and make that wrestler a star, Jade Cargill would be what they'd attempt to build. Cargill's look and demeanor would translate smoothly from the AEW environment to WWE — both inside and outside the ring. Outside the ring, Cargill has the experience of representing a company. She's walked red carpets all around the country and has represented AEW flawlessly during those appearances. WWE likes that in all of their stars.
In the ring, Cargill can talk and she's learning how to go. On the microphone, Cargill thrives, and it's the most effective way to get her character to connect with the audience. They've got a few talking segments each week in WWE, right? From a wrestling perspective, Cargill is better suited for WWE. AEW is a work-rate promotion by many standards and she simply doesn't have the credentials for that like Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, and Britt Baker do — at least not yet. In WWE, the expectation of a five-star classic isn't on the shoulders of their talent. In the women's division, for every Sasha Banks, there is an equally successful Mandy Rose.
Jade Cargill would thrive in an environment where she can wrestle the match she wants without the baggage of star ratings. Cargill in the ring with any of the four horsewomen, Bianca Belair, or Mandy Rose would be appointment viewing.
Wardlow
What's not to like about Wardlow in WWE? Yes, it's the Paul Levesque era and "body guys" meant more to Vince McMahon than they ultimately do now, but Levesque is a body guy at heart too. "The tryouts we did before, where there were a lot of athletes and experienced indie guys, I don't think there's any less of a 'That's a rock star, the indie stuff, half of it is, 'He's a good in-ring performer, but the rest is a mystery," Levesque said to The Athletic. "He's got bad habits I have to get him out of.' This is almost cleaner. It's a blank slate."
Wardlow fits into both of those categories, so Levesque should be salivating at the prospects of him in WWE. Does Wardlow have some bad habits? Sure. He's pretty one note in the ring with power moves as a sole focus for better or worse. On the microphone, the constant yelling screams he needs a little seasoning, which WWE can provide.
His core, though, is athleticism and look. WWE has valued that forever and continues now. Wardlow vs. Bobby Lashley, anyone? Brock Lesnar? The money matches on the table are endless. Even Jim Cornette wants Wardlow in WWE as soon as humanly possible.
MJF
This one is a bit obvious, but true nonetheless. MJF getting added to the WWE roster very much bolsters multiple aspects of the company. The first is star power. MJF gives WWE another major star to put on their board. Pro wrestling is still a star-focused business and MJF has built himself into one. With the WWE machine behind him, he'd reach high highs.
WWE gets a tremendous worker on the microphone with MJF. WWE programming is heavily anchored in talking, be it backstage vignettes or promos in the ring. Someone with the skill level that MJF has to carry a story and segment on the microphone is supremely valuable in that type of content environment.
With MJF, WWE gets a star with a true passion and understanding of the wrestling business in the present day. MJF gets the business of the business. Even as a heel, he's a true steward of professional wrestling and can be a face of a new generation of talent across the business.
Powerhouse Hobbs
Like Wardlow, the upside that Powerhouse Hobbs brings to WWE is nearly unmatched. Hobbs has come a long way in AEW after his heel turn. It's given him an avenue to showcase his personality and develop a connection with the audience. In the ring, Hobbs can do almost anything and could be a good opponent for both small WWE talent like AJ Styles and bigger WWE talent like Drew McIntyre.
Hobbs has the ability to turn heads inside an airport and, though he's found his personality as a heel, bigger business and dollar signs in WWE come with him as a babyface. Hobbs is likable because of his style, presence, and charisma. Add into that his size and impressive move set and in WWE you have a star ready to go. Hobbs is likely never going to be a five-star classic machine, but he won't need that in his repertoire in WWE. Hobbs can simply be Hobbs and that is an excuse to print money for WWE.
Ricky Starks
Ricky Starks is criminally underutilized in AEW. The charisma that this man possesses is out of this world and it's befuddling why Tony Khan has not been able to capitalize on it. WWE probably wouldn't make that same mistake.
Starks is talented on every level that you need to be in WWE's pro wrestling ecosystem. He can talk, he can work, he has a good look, he can be serious, he can be comedic, and everything in between. WWE needs versatile performers to step into certain roles at any given time and deliver. Think Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Starks would slot in near them in terms of how many things Paul Levesque could do with him.
Starks can work heel or babyface effectively, and WWE's production and presentation mechanisms would enhance the Starks character to heights that AEW simply can't. The Ricky Starks pose that he uses to start his entrance could be seen on t-shirts and big VR graphics on Fox. Someone like Starks would work extremely well in the WWE environment.
Britt Baker
The thought of Britt Baker on the WWE rosters immediately triggers all sorts of dream matches. Baker vs. Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Ronda Rousey, Io Sky, and Asuka. Take our money now, WWE. Those matches are about as fresh as they come.
Therein lies the value of Britt Baker. Obviously, she's a great fit for WWE on the microphone and in the ring, but she brings novelty to the main roster because nobody has seen her on it before.
Baker commands attention and holds that attention once she has it. We already know her character work is strong and that she can draw big dollars thanks to the 'doctor Britt Baker, DMD' catchphrase. A strong heel, WWE can take her heelish tendencies and use them to get great fights out of their women's division.
Rey Fenix
There aren't many wrestlers in the world today that are as exciting to watch as Rey Fenix is. Excitement alone is enough to make him an excellent fit for WWE. The traditional Fenix style of action, big spots, and big bumps, may have to undergo a bit of a transformation to accommodate others on the roster, but he'll stand out on a roster full of very similar, WWE Performance Center-level talent.
Fenix is the perfect ambassador for Lucha Libre in the United States and in WWE. He respects the culture and fans respect him. In AEW, his style stands out, but not as much due to many of those working a similar style to him. In WWE, it would be a totally different story. Remember when Rey Mysterio burst onto the main roster WWE? Fenix is flashy enough to cultivate that type of reaction or connection to the WWE audience. As for potential matches? Well, Fenix vs. Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and a lot more are possibilities.
FTR
You know the old saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know"? Well, FTR knows the right people and in high places. FTR were not a perfect fit in a Vince McMahon-led WWE. On the flip side, they are the perfect fit for Paul Levesque.
In many ways, Levesque is responsible for the platform that FTR now has as 'best tag team in the world.' It was on NXT black and gold that FTR built a following and established a foundation for the type of work they could do and became a massive draw. The matches against American Alpha and DIY stand out as classics in an era of classics almost every night out.
With Levesque in charge, the FTR style plays. Levesque seems to get what they are about and can facilitate that team character into acts at the top of the card. FTR can talk, yes, but they can wrestle more than anything else. More importantly, they make you believe. Why AEW hasn't ran with this team given the run they've been on is confusing, but now more than ever, they have more doors open than they'll ever need.
CM Punk
File this away as highly unlikely, but CM Punk would certainly enhance the WWE roster significantly. Punk going back to WWE after his newsworthy and immature breakdown at the All Out media scrum is like handing the WWE Board of Directors a sack of money.
Punk in WWE, even as a part-timer, would be especially beneficial at this time. The big matches are there with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Matt Riddle, and others.
Punk's biggest asset to WWE as a returning star is all the content around him waiting to be filmed and aired on Peacock. "WWE 365," "WWE Day Of," a new documentary, Punk talking with Steve Austin on the "Broken Skull Sessions," and much more. Punk can impact WWE as a top tier star in a major way without even having to step foot in a wrestling ring. That's value and CM Punk has a lot of that in the WWE sphere.
Kip Sabian
This is a wild card pick, but would be a strong addition to WWE because of his versatility. Kip Sabian is not going to be a main event player in WWE, but his value lies in his ability to do a lot of different things. With five hours a week of programming to account for, Levesque needs lower card talent that can fill time, and we've seen Sabian fill that role well in AEW.
Wedding segments, vignettes, video game product integrations, competitive matches, comedy skits — the guy can really do it all at the bottom of the card. Sabian would be a utility player in WWE with his upside being having a similar career path of someone like Dolph Ziggler and the lower ceiling of an R-Truth. Both valuable in different ways, but with longevity in the biggest wrestling company in the world.
It bears mentioning that Sabian would be a nice fit in NXT as well. His style and work rate ability is smooth enough to really help the future top stars, much like what J.D. McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov are doing for Bron Breakker right now.
Darby Allin
Think about how many children are in the AEW audiences with their faces painted like Darby Allin. Darby in WWE multiplies those painted faces in the audience by five. AEW is not directly targeting kids, but the Allin character has still been able to resonate with them in a strong way. WWE does directly target a younger audience and with the marketing machine behind it, the Darby Allin gimmick would be a huge moneymaker for them.
Darby Allin is a different kind of professional wrestler. He'd have to temper back his stunt bump spots, but the character he plays and the special vignettes that go along with it would be amplified even bigger in a company with the type of promotional and production power that WWE has.
In the ring, Allin has many potential opponents that jump off the page instantly: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and countless others. He'd be a fresh act with dollars signs hovering all around him.