With the announcement of The Elites new wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling, sports entertainment has opened a new chapter, with former Bullet Club members Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks starting their own promotion after a hugely successful All In PPV in 2018. So far, plenty of wrestlers have signed on with the company in the first week, but before there is still a lot of room on the roster to give unknown talent a place in the spotlight and for names we already know to shine.
Considering that All In was my personal favorite wrestling show I've ever attended, I am extremely excited as a wrestling fan for AEW in 2019. We got to see new faces at All In from smaller promotions as well as some stars we know and love, like Rey Mysterio, Bully Ray, and Chris Jericho.
That got us thinking, which wrestlers from other promotions, like WWE, Ring of Honor, New Japan, and Impact, would work well in AEW? Which stars haven't been used to their full potential that could thrive in 2019, as long as they don't mind making the jump? Here are 15 wrestlers that could and should make the jump to AEW in 2019.
Tye Dillinger
You're going to be reading a version of this a lot through the WWE section: Tye Dillinger is underutilized and underappreciated by Creative. Dillinger was a star in NXT, but when he got to the main roster, he fell by the wayside. This happens with 75% of the stars that move up to the main roster. There's a good chance Dillinger has been hinting at signing, when he tweeted the numbers "1 8 20 19" recently, which was the date for the AEW press conference. He seems like the perfect (10) fit for the company and would easily be at home amongst competitors like the Young Bucks or Hangman Page.
Image credit: WWE
Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt, conceptually, is utter brilliance and should be the biggest star in the company. However, the execution of Bray Wyatt, in a post Wyatt Family world, has been abysmal. Even when teamed with "Woken" Matt Hardy, Wyatt was stagnant and just more of the same. He needs a reinvention, and the best place to do that is in a new promotion. He's exceptional on the mic and give engaging promos, something AEW could use. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have one of the early NXT callups in All Elite Wrestling.
Image credit: WWE
Dana Brooke
Dana Brooke is underappreciated and underutilized in WWE. She's a powerhouse wrestler that can do some really fun comedy spots, as we saw with Titus Worldwide. However, she's fallen by the wayside, as Raw's women's division has been only following Ronda Rousey, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, and Bayley. Everyone else is overshadowed. Breaking free and joining AEW's women's division would be her best move so she's not stuck in the background at WWE.
Image credit: WWE
The Revival
Dash and Dawson just don't fit on Raw. They are incredibly talented, but as I've said before with other superstars, these two are underappreciated and… you get the point. The "no flips, only fists" mindset these two have fits much better on the indie circuit than it does in WWE. This idea of old school wrestling mentality--something NXT's Bull Dempsy originally had as a gimmick--would work exceptionally well in AEW, which has plenty of wrestlers who love to flip. There's also the whole beef the Young Bucks had with them, which could play well into a storyline.
Image credit: WWE
Dolph Ziggler
Chris Jericho was the first big name legend to sign to AEW, and he won't be the last. One wrestler that should go to AEW is Dolph Ziggler. He is a workhorse, he's charismatic, and up until recently, he's been underutilized in WWE. His type of style and attitude would be the perfect fit for AEW. He could easily be main event talent and help show the ropes to up-and-coming wrestlers.
Image credit: WWE
The Good Brothers
The Elite became the biggest thing to happen to Bullet Club since its formation. Sure, the first three leaders of the group, along with the Good Brothers, found themselves working for WWE, but The Elite really elevated the group's stock. Back in WWE, the Good Brothers haven't had much to do, other than their very derivative show on the WWE Network, Botch Club. And that's troubling considering that these two can either be exceptionally intimidating, like they were in NJPW or incredibly funny, like they are on social media or behind the scenes. Again, these performers are underappreciated and underutilized. Move them to AEW and put them in a war with The Elite, more specifically The Young Bucks.
Image credit: WWE
Finn Balor
Speaking of former Bullet Club members, Finn Balor has--say it with me--been underappreciated and underutilized in WWE. He won the Universal Championship then vacated it after he was injured. He returned but never got a rematch. WWE doesn't know what to do with him, and that's clear. Why not bring over the founder of Bullet Club to feud with The Elite? Sure, Balor feels like he fits in WWE's system, but if you've ever watched him in NJPW, you know he's better than this. Team him up with the Good Brothers and have them face off against The Elite.
Note: In the process of putting this together, Balor was finally pushed and won the opportunity to face Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble for the Universal Championship.
Image credit: WWE
Chelsea Green
"Hot Mess" Chelsea Green may have just signed with WWE developmental, but her appearance at All In turned a lot of heads. She was phenomenal in the ring, and her gimmick was a ton of fun. It hearkened back to early '90s wrestling, and she's the perfect fit for AEW, as WWE does do comedy, but can't do it in a way that makes the competitor look tough in the ring.
Image credit: WWE
Flip Gordon
Knowing that the majority of the cast of Being The Elite has signed with AEW but Flip Gordon hasn't is a bit weird. The upstart really made a big name for himself the past couple of years while signed with Ring of Honor, and his performance at All In turned a lot of heads, as he took on Jay Lethal for the ROH Championship and was in the Over Budget Battle Royal. He did sign an exclusive deal with ROH last year, but it's unknown how long that deal is for. AEW should scoop him up as soon as possible.
Image credit: Ring of Honor
Bully Ray
With the signing of Chris Jericho, many fans have been looking for other stars of the Attitude Era to move into AEW--well, those who haven't retired due to injury. What AEW needs, more than anyone else, is a no-nonsense powerhouse to fill out its roster, and no one fits that role more than Bully Ray. So far, AEW has tons of the current style of wrestler, which is agile and technical. Bully Ray would be a nice scrapper to add to the mix, and much like Jericho, he could help the up and comers with crafting their talents in the ring and on the mic.
Image credit: Ring of Honor
Marty Scurll
Poor Marty Scurll. The January 7 episode of Being The Elite was pretty sad, as Scurll was left all alone after everyone else--except Kenny Omega--informed him they're leaving NJPW and ROH for AEW. But how can you have The Elite without The Villain? Scurll has his own thing going on in ROH right now with Villain Industries, but he would be an important addition to AEW. Preferably, we'd like to see this latest storyline at ROH play out before he comes over though.
Image credit: Being the Elite
Kenny Omega
While he hasn't signed with AEW yet, it's bound to happen. The rumor mill is saying that The Cleaner is working on a deal with both AEW and New Japan, but as of this writing, there is no news. Much like Scurll, Omega needs to be a part of AEW as he is part of The Elite. The fact not everyone from Being the Elite is in AEW hurts me to my very core.
Image credit: Being the Elite
Joey Ryan
This is really for me more than anyone else. I love Joey Ryan's character and seeing him live at All In was one of the highlights of 2018 for me. Yes, he's totally a gimmick wrestler that would never work--as is--in WWE, but he is a great worker in the ring and has tremendous charisma. He could bring a lot of fun to AEW. Plus, who wouldn't want to see Ryan finally turn the tables on Hangman Page, again?
Image credit: Being the Elite
Kharma/Awesome Kong
While she may be acting on Netflix's GLOW, once upon a time, Kia Stevens was Kharma in WWE and Awesome Kong in TNA. Much like Bully Ray, who we mentioned earlier, Kharma is a powerhouse and can bring that style into AEW, as well as helping out with the younger talent as well. Additionally, Kharma is exceptionally gifted in her character work, so she doesn't have to work heel like she did in WWE and TNA. She could easily play a lovable babyface. Hopefully, her back is ok, as in 2018, she went under the knife for surgery.
Image credit: WWE
Tessa Blanchard
With Impact moving to a channel most cable package don't get, the wrestlers on the promotion should be free agents sooner or later. Blanchard is wrestling royalty as a 3rd generation superstar and one of the best women workers in sports entertainment. AEW will already have plenty of eyes on it when things start to get into motion, and Blanchard will be the perfect addition to the female roster.
Image credit: Impact Wrestling
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