It Looks LIke AEW is About to Make Another Splash

News out of WWE World is that both Dean Ambrose and Hideo Itami have turned down contract extensions with WWE, and are opting to leave the company. Both men are citing dissatisfaction with creative as their reasons for wanting to leave, and while Itami has asked for and received his release; Ambrose is electing to finish his contract. This means that once he is a free agent, Ambrose will be able to sign wherever he wants to without any restrictions. By the end of April, both men will be free of WWE, and All Elite Wrestling will almost certainly take a long look at these two men. 

Both Ambrose (as Jon Moxley), and Hideo (as KENTA), were indy darlings before signing with WWE. While Ambrose ascended all the way to the World Heavyweight Championship, Itami suffered through injuries and poor writing on 205 Live. Currently, both men are unhappy with the creative directions of their characters, and though Ambrose has been offered a seven-figure contract extension, he is choosing to work elsewhere. 

Boasting a roster that already features members of the Bullet Club and So Cal Uncensored from ROH, AEW made a splash with the signings of Adrian (PAC) Neville & Chris Jericho. The company also delayed the announcement of bringing in Kenny Omega, so once it was announced; the company made news all over again. However, the biggest news so far could be announcements that AEW has signed Jon Moxley and KENTA. That would be huge for the company, and AEW might still not be done causing ripples. 

Rumor has it that the four WWE transplants from NJPW (AJ, Nakamura, Gallows & Anderson) are all waiting out their soon-to-be expiring contracts, and will probably not sign new deals with WWE. The fact that AJ, Gallows & Anderson were all Bullet Club members with the Young Bucks increases speculation that these three men could be signing with All Elite. Also, since the members of the Elite have all worked with Nakamura in NJPW, he is another familiar face who could be on AEW’s radar. Signing Ambrose would make a huge splash, but signing these four men also would be almost earth shattering. 

The addition of Ambrose & AJ Styles to All Elite Wrestling, if that were to happen, would signal to every top wrestler in WWE that there now exists somewhere to work that offers another alternative to being a “slave to the machine”. A company that has as much money as WWE, but is run by wrestlers who grew tired of the business’ status quo, has to be an intriguing option for top talent who also are looking for a change.

The ripples are just beginning.