With WWE continuing to revamp its company by rapidly releasing its talents, some reports have provided an update on the contract status of its top-notch stars becoming AEW bound next year.
With Full Gear pay-per-view only a week away, several notable changes have been made in the locker room. Now without further ado, quickly get down to those rumored stories and whether they should turn out to be true or not.
#5 Hopefully true: Jon Moxley helping Bryan Danielson sign with AEW
Bryan Danielson’s AEW debut will probably go down as one of the most surprising swerves this year. However, The American Dragon’s decision to leave WWE wouldn’t have been possible without his former colleague’s motivating words.
After Dynamite went off the air this week, Bryan revealed that he had a conversation with Moxley a while back. Watching an AEW show, Bryan had self-esteem issues about hanging in with any of the promotion’s top-tier stars. However, Moxley encouraged him by saying, ‘“You’re the best in the world.”
Dave Meltzer, via a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, reported that Mox was a “key figure” in helping Bryan come over to AEW. He even added that both men share a close bond:
We hope this rumor is true, as it speaks volumes about how the top stars of AEW are laser-focused on helping the company reach higher heights. It also suggests that Tony Khan has given significant creative freedom to its employees like Mox, who helped bring a megastar to add star power to the roster.
#4 Hopefully true: Kevin Owens is eligible to show up in AEW next year
WWE star Kevin Owens could become AEW’s biggest signing next year. According to WrestlingNews.co, Owens’ contract will expire at the end of January 2022. Once his contract expires, the former Universal champion could be eligible to appear on AEW programming by early February:
We hope this is true since The Prizefighter has been incredibly underutilized in Vince McMahon’s promotion. A potential move to AEW could do wonders for his pro wrestling career.
Understandably, Tony Khan has already signed top-notch names this year, and the roster seems pretty stacked. But Owens has a close connection with Young Bucks and Adam Cole. All these members were once part of the same faction during their time in the indies. The Jackson Brothers even updated their most recent bio to Mrow, which used to be the name of their group - Mount Rushmore of Wrestling.
#3 Hopefully true: AEW’s Eddie Kingston possibly turning heel
According to Bryan Alvarez of the Figure Four Online, AEW’s Eddie Kingston could soon turn heel, despite being a fan favorite. Although he noted that CM Punk could also embrace the negative side, it would be too early for him. Punk hinted at The Mad King’s character change during their heated altercation on Rampage this week:
We hope this is true because the storyline between the two babyfaces may not add as much intensity as it could with a heel vs. babyface dynamic. Given his ability to cut top-notch promos, a character change might do wonders for his career, starting with his ongoing feud with Punk.
#2 Hopefully not true: Kyle O’Reilly becoming AEW bound next year
Kyle O’Reilly is another big name who could become a free agent next year. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported that Reilly’s contract is set to expire next month. Johnson noted that the NXT Superstar is listed as the #2 babyface on the brand, behind Tommaso Ciampa.
There are no updates on his stance with WWE. However, a potential move to AEW must be on his mind, given that his former buddies Adam Cole and Bobby Fish recently jumped over to AEW.
Despite rumors of his contract expiring as early as next month, we hope that Kyle O’Reilly stays with NXT going forward. By the time he goes to AEW, Tony Khan might sign some more stars into the promotion. Despite O’Reilly’s charisma, he may quickly get lost in the already-loaded roster.
#1 Hopefully not true: AEW holding a one-hour ‘Battle of the Belts’ television special
AEW’s reportedly planned special event, Battle of the Belts, which will go down on January 8th, 2022, could be an hour-long show on Saturday night.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that the original idea was to hold this television event similar to Rampage’s one-hour format. The initial plans, however, could always change as AEW is looking to draw attention with a pay-per-view caliber match card:
We hope this isn’t true, as the one-hour format might put limitations on some high-profile championship matches. We’ve already seen on Rampage how bouts have often felt rushed, not living up to expectations. If AEW is anticipating the Battle of the Belts to be a hit like past years’ Clash of Champions, they must add an extra hour to it.
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