My thoughts on AEW hiring talent from WWE

[personagamer]

I feel AEW gets a little to much backlash from hiring talent that were released from WWE for others it's them not building there own talent for me it's getting those newer talent people to work with, I knew to keep watch when Chris Jericho signed with AEW, I honestley thought he was WWE for the rest of his carrer but he will always be my #1 guy, growing up with him, Jeff, Matt, Edge and Christian was awesome and during the RA era which I mostley grew up in he and Shawn Micheals could always put on the best matches of the night, tuning into the first PPV I was reintroduced to people like the Young Bucks, Chirstopher Daniels and Kazzarian while being introduced to MJF, Jurrasic Express, Adam Page and Kenny Omega. As time went on we got talent like Darby Allin, Sammy Gurrevarra, Orange Cassidey and many others, while the known names may have brought me in the newer talent is what keeps me watching, but I love having the older talent just as much and most of them can still put on good matches.

To me them hiring former talent is something that doesn't hurt AEW or the Wrestlers signing, to me it shows that wrestler wants to help with the future in a way they weren't allowed under WWE.

[LK3]

How they use the wrestler is also key. TNA would put them straight to the top, or heavily feature older guys like Kevin Nash.

I think that stigma from TNA leads those who aren’t into AEW to mock the “WWE rejects”, which clashes with those who are excited to see the released TALENTED wrestlers try to prove themselves to what we think they’re capable of.

[¡Twist Of 45 and 47!]

Big Show and Mark Henry have long since hit their expiry date in WWE. They’d achieved everything they could so it makes sense for both of them to go elsewhere. Same could be said for Matt Hardy and Christian too.

[hbkbigdaddycool]

If you could use said ex WWE wrestler in some capacity that helps your wrestling company, your wrestlers you employ, and your TV ratings, then sure, by all means bring that person in.

However, with that being said.... AEW gets these ex WWE stars and then they don't know what to do with them. Guys like Matt Hardy and Christian Cage come to AEW to get a fresh start and they end up dwelling in mid card status and appear to be feuding with each other.

And AEW has way too many people signed to their wrestling company. Four hour YouTube episodes of wrestling each week because you employed 100 wrestlers when TV time gives you about 10 - 12 to showcase a week is just ridiculous.

[TKO Propagandist]

A good chunk of ex WWE folk is ideal as long as there is enough space on the roster. I think they are at their limit right now, only because there is so many wrestlers signed. Otherwise, it always helps to have familar faces knocking around. So long as they still have more to give on such a big scale.

[JC Motors]

AEW Currently has 31 former WWE talent signed to them. It seems like the place to go once you get released from WWE. One day the day will come when AEW starts releasing talent like WWE does. It's bound to happen.
1. Cody Rhodes
2. Arn Anderson
3. Tully Blanchard
4. Billy Gunn
5. Dean Malenko
6. Jake the Snake Roberts
7. Trent Barretta
8. Matt Hardy
9. Chris Jerhico
10. Ty Dillinger
11. Luke Harper
12. Dean Ambrose
13. Mark Henry
14. Big Show
15. Christian
16. Brandi Rhodes
17. Sting
18. Awesome Kong.
19. Tay Conti
20. Colt Cabana
21. Goldust
22. Jack Swagger
23. Vance Archer
24. Evan Bourne
25. Russev
26. Neville
27. Vickie Guerrero
28. Taz
29. Jim Ross
30. Dasha Fuentes
31. Justin Roberts

[rkmo: Everyone Else but Me]

-AEW Detractors: "Ooh AEW just has a bunch of indie no-names that only the diehards give a flip about!"

-AEW hires some names formerly employed by WWE

-Same AEW Detractors: "Ooh TNA 2.0 getting every WWE castoff to get their mudshow relevant!"


WWE has essentially been the only wrestling company with wide exposure for the last 20 years. They have been gobbling up every promising indie name they could, and holding onto a roster too deep to ever fully utilize. If you want somebody with any sort of recognition and experience, it is the only option to bring in ex-WWE talent.

That said, there does need to be some thought put into how people would fit into the shuffle. Brodie, Andrade, FTR. These guys were well worth the investment. Big Show and Matt Hardy I'm okay with. But Christian Cage, Mark Henry? Don't know how good a fit they'll be, and feel they could contribute much more to another company like Impact or NWA at this point. Other guys would have a better opportunity to use their raw talent to be standouts in ROH, New Japan, and MLW. There are three endeavors this past month or so that I would like AEW to strongly pursue, certainly not everyone.


Interesting note, last night I dreamt Asuka made her AEW debut lol

[LA Times]

Jun 27, 2021 10:00:29 GMT -5 JC Motors said:

AEW Currently has 31 former WWE talent signed to them. It seems like the place to go once you get released from WWE. One day the day will come when AEW starts releasing talent like WWE does. It's bound to happen.
1. Cody Rhodes
2. Arn Anderson
3. Tully Blanchard
4. Billy Gunn
5. Dean Malenko
6. Jake the Snake Roberts
7. Trent Barretta
8. Matt Hardy
9. Chris Jerhico
10. Ty Dillinger
11. Luke Harper
12. Dean Ambrose
13. Mark Henry
14. Big Show
15. Christian
16. Brandi Rhodes
17. Sting
18. Awesome Kong.
19. Tay Conti
20. Colt Cabana
21. Goldust
22. Jack Swagger
23. Vance Archer
24. Evan Bourne
25. Russev
26. Neville
27. Vickie Guerrero
28. Taz
29. Jim Ross
30. Dasha Fuentes
31. Justin Roberts

WWE was collecting wrestlers like they were action figures. AEW is buying the figures in the WWE's collection they dont want.

[personagamer]

Jun 27, 2021 13:01:35 GMT -5 LA Times said:

Jun 27, 2021 10:00:29 GMT -5 JC Motors said:

AEW Currently has 31 former WWE talent signed to them. It seems like the place to go once you get released from WWE. One day the day will come when AEW starts releasing talent like WWE does. It's bound to happen.
1. Cody Rhodes
2. Arn Anderson
3. Tully Blanchard
4. Billy Gunn
5. Dean Malenko
6. Jake the Snake Roberts
7. Trent Barretta
8. Matt Hardy
9. Chris Jerhico
10. Ty Dillinger
11. Luke Harper
12. Dean Ambrose
13. Mark Henry
14. Big Show
15. Christian
16. Brandi Rhodes
17. Sting
18. Awesome Kong.
19. Tay Conti
20. Colt Cabana
21. Goldust
22. Jack Swagger
23. Vance Archer
24. Evan Bourne
25. Russev
26. Neville
27. Vickie Guerrero
28. Taz
29. Jim Ross
30. Dasha Fuentes
31. Justin Roberts

WWE was collecting wrestlers like they were action figures. AEW is buying the figures in the WWE's collection they dont want.

at least most of those are proving there worth to AEW the only one's that really aren't are Shawn Spears, Big Show and Mark Henry

[Yambag Jones]

Jun 25, 2021 23:23:09 GMT -5 LK3 said:

How they use the wrestler is also key. TNA would put them straight to the top, or heavily feature older guys like Kevin Nash.

I think that stigma from TNA leads those who aren’t into AEW to mock the “WWE rejects”, which clashes with those who are excited to see the released TALENTED wrestlers try to prove themselves to what we think they’re capable of.

This. Guys like Hardy, Christian, Big Show, & Henry coming in and winning a top title and being THE guy would be terrible TNA 🐴💩. WWE was basically the only game in town for two decades. Most talent available worked for the Connecticut fed at one point. Anyone who tries to use that argument as a way to dunk on AEW is totally miserable.

[Odafin Tutuola]

Matt Hardy and Christian Cage should have been booked like big deals when they came in but they are stuck in the mid card, Christian was a two time World Champion in WWE but damn. AEW is turning into TNA/Impact Wrestling 2.0 with a Billion Dollar amateur booker.

[guster]

Could you imagine if WWF in 1995 or 1996 listened to their fans complaining about hiring ex WCW guys? They wouldn't have had Austin, Foley, Triple H, Farooq, Goldust, Mero (indirectly Sable), ect. Go even further back and you could add Undertaker to that list. If you have the ability to add someone to your organization that would make your organization better, then you do it. And that doesn't apply to just wrestling. Any walk of life.

[Deleted]

This complaint coming from Vincels Are funny. When NXT made it’s name from hiring guys from New Japan and ROH. And beside Roman Regins Any star on Main Roster WWE are Indy talent.

[theoutlaw1999]

Most of WCW's main event scene were ex WWF stars. You had guys like Booker T & Goldberg who were their own creations but the rest WWF

[personagamer]

Jun 28, 2021 13:35:39 GMT -5 Odafin Tutuola said:

Matt Hardy and Christian Cage should have been booked like big deals when they came in but they are stuck in the mid card, Christian was a two time World Champion in WWE but damn. AEW is turning into TNA/Impact Wrestling 2.0 with a Billion Dollar amateur booker.

I feel both were treated as big deals and can go up, I like the Christian being a mentor for Jungle Boy like it's been teased for a few weeks and shows Christian helping the future, same can be said for Matt and his relationship with Privite Party

[Deleted]

Jun 28, 2021 13:35:39 GMT -5 Odafin Tutuola said:

Matt Hardy and Christian Cage should have been booked like big deals when they came in but they are stuck in the mid card, Christian was a two time World Champion in WWE but damn. AEW is turning into TNA/Impact Wrestling 2.0 with a Billion Dollar amateur booker.

Interesting. The fact that they didn't immediately push Hardy and Christian right to the top, instead using them to enhance a lot of their "homegrown" talent, is exactly why it's everything BUT TNA 2.0... 

[personagamer]

Jun 29, 2021 21:40:37 GMT -5 @gardinermitch said:

Jun 28, 2021 13:35:39 GMT -5 Odafin Tutuola said:

Matt Hardy and Christian Cage should have been booked like big deals when they came in but they are stuck in the mid card, Christian was a two time World Champion in WWE but damn. AEW is turning into TNA/Impact Wrestling 2.0 with a Billion Dollar amateur booker.

Interesting. The fact that they didn't immediately push Hardy and Christian right to the top, instead using them to enhance a lot of their "homegrown" talent, is exactly why it's everything BUT TNA 2.0... 

I actually like that there using former talent to help new guys who might need something to get over

[stc13]

I think a lot of this is colored by people being so used to WWE being the only major game in town for the past 2 decades.

Wrestling history is built on people going back and forth between promotions and territories. Sometimes you get more over in one place than the other. Sometimes you don't.

But if you're building a television product and audience, you need talent the audience are familiar with. You need employees who know how to work on camera and have experience. And when there's only been one game in town for two decades, it makes a lot of sense that some of the best available talent are folks who worked in another nationally televised promotion at some point.

And you're talking about building a company. There's a lot of value in bringing in folks with experience who can help teach and develop talent behind the scenes in addition to their in front of camera contribution. I never totally understand why "hire known and experienced workers to do a job" is somehow a controversial concept in professional wrestling fandom.

[FLUX]

I'm not an AEW fan by any means. Fan of a lot of their talent, not a fan of who's in charge. But honestly? They're using the veterans they hire in the right way. They needed Jericho, as much of a lolcow as he's become lately, to be their first champion to give them that initial buzz and built on that by giving Mox a long reign as well.

Their homegrown talent, on the other hand, is for the most part stuck below a glass ceiling while the EVPs make most of Dynamite all about them and that is what makes me not want to get invested in AEW. Too many WCW when the inmates ran the asylum vibes.

[Odafin Tutuola]

Jun 30, 2021 11:48:20 GMT -5 FLUX said:

I'm not an AEW fan by any means. Fan of a lot of their talent, not a fan of who's in charge. But honestly? They're using the veterans they hire in the right way. They needed Jericho, as much of a lolcow as he's become lately, to be their first champion to give them that initial buzz and built on that by giving Mox a long reign as well.

Their homegrown talent, on the other hand, is for the most part stuck below a glass ceiling while the EVPs make most of Dynamite all about them and that is what makes me not want to get invested in AEW. Too many WCW when the inmates ran the asylum vibes.

The EVPs are on every minute, Omega and Thr Bucks should be serious heels instead of whatever the type of heels they are. Cody Rhodes comes off more serious and less comedy. I agree with the inmates running the asylum.