5 AEW wrestlers who can replace the released stars on the WWE main roster

One of the rules that all the WWE Superstars are supposed to follow is that they cannot wrestle for any other promotions while they are under contract with WWE. Inspite of this the relesed stars have difficult replacement from AEW wrestlers too. But this rule might not be implied any longer due to a couple of reasons.

First of all WWE has received a lot of criticism for releasing their main roster Superstars like Braun Strowman and Aleister Black. The rate at which they have been releasing stars, they might soon struggle to fill in 3 hours of WWE Raw, a show which is already struggling.

Secondly, Daniel Bryan is a Superstar that WWE loves. But since his contract expired, he has been showing interest in wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). WWE is trying to work out a possibility where Bryan is free to appear on both these promotions. If the deal goes through, numerous Superstars might follow suit and appear on multiple shows.

While it is unlikely that WWE will get back the wrestlers who’ve left the company for AEW, this list includes AEW wrestlers, who are being under-utilized currently and could do more with WWE.

Here is our list of 5 AEW wrestlers who could replace the recently released superstars on WWE main roster

#1 Chris Jericho

Jericho was the first professional wrestler, who gave rise to the speculations of AEW wrestlers moving to the WWE roster. The speculations when Jericho appeared on WWE Network’s Broken Skull Sessions. Fans were surprised when a current AEW wrestler appeared for a WWE show.

Jericho is clearly on good terms with WWE, and his contract with AEW reportedly expires in 2022. Jericho is the current face of the AEW and WWE could try to lure him back, heavily denting AEW’s popularity. Jericho, on the other hand, has a win-win situation on his hands, if both the companies try to sign him.

#2 Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy had left WWE because he wanted more creative control over his characters. Fans had high expectations from Hardy’s run in AEW, but his characters have simply fallen flat – something that Hardy himself admitted.

Matt Hardy believes that the crowd-less AEW shows were the reason for the failure of his “Broken” character. But even with fans back, we are yet to see an impactful Matt Hardy character. While his brother, Jeff Hardy, too is struggling on the WWE main roster, getting back together as a Tag Team for one-final run, can do wonders for both of them.

#3 Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes (also known as Goldust) is one of the stars on list, who would’ve been a part of the WWE Hall of Fame, had they not jumped ship to AEW. While he had a successful run on AEW, but his lack of consistent TV time has hurt him.

While, the lack of time TV is justified, due to Rhodes being a wrestler who is past his prime, and AEW wants to push their younger talents. But one thing that WWE has being doing right with their veterans like Ric Flair and MVP, is giving them TV time too. Rhodes can get an authority role, if he and WWE decide to work together once again.

#4 Bea Priestley

Very few AEW wrestlers have been released from the company, since its inception in 2019. One of the unfortunate releases was of Bea Priestley. She couldn’t travel to America due to the Covid-19 outbreak as she lived in Japan.

But now it is being reported that WWE is close to signing Bea Priestley. She is the only one on the list who is currently in talks with WWE. But it still isn’t clear if she will be sent to NXT, or to the main roster.

#5 Shawn Spears

Shawn Spears (formerly known as Tye Dillinger) had requested WWE for his release in 2019, hoping to revitalize his career at AEW. At WWE, Spears faced the common issue of being underutilized nad was unable to break the glass ceiling. He joined WWE in 2006 and was introduced to the main roster in 2017!

Spears developed a strong following on NXT, he was sent to Smackdown, where he was completely misused. He ultimately became one of the first names from WWE to sign with AEW. But apart from a couple of brief feuds, Spears AEW run has been more disappointing than his run on WWE. This might lead Shawn Spears to consider a run with WWE again.  

Also Read: 5 NXT Superstars who can replace the released stars on the main roster

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