Several Wrestlers Want to Leave WWE for AEW

Several members of the WWE and NXT roster have “inquired” about coming to AEW, according to Dave Meltzer.

On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said, “There’s way more that you are not aware of. I would go so far as to say that there are very few people and you can count them on one to two hands, that have not at least inquired regarding what’s outside, including names that would shock you.”

There are several reasons why, but one of the main reasons in many cases is AEW’s lighter road schedule, the Observer says. AEW won’t be doing house shows and will only have two hours of TV per week, with a pretty loaded roster.

In NXT, the feeling is that it’s going to be a lot harder to be a star in WWE because it’s going to take so long to get to the main roster, and even then, even if they’re stars in NXT, the track record once guys go to the main roster has been abysmal. The Ricochet situation has been an “eye opener” for a lot of guys, the Observer says.

But WWE isn’t really releasing anyone right now, so most guys are pretty much trapped. Most people in NXT are signed to three year deals and top guys are signed for even longer.

AEW also of course can’t and won’t just hire anyone from WWE, since they have a talent budget and the roster is already pretty stacked.