It’s reasonable enough to think that we might Rhodes’ friend and past kayfabe rival Stephen Amell wrestling again in 2019. All the more intriguing are rumoured talents who are on the outs with WWE or purportedly asking for their releases.
Could we see Jon Moxley (better known as Dean Ambrose) in AEW, or The Revival, or even Brock Lesnar, whom the company is rumoured to have interest in? What about WWE fan favourite wrestler AJ Lee who left the company out of creative dissatisfaction and because of her husband, CM Punk’s relationship with them? Or wrestling’s hottest full-on free agents like Kenny Omega and Pentagon?
All of these rumours provide some compelling fodder for dream match scenarios. This article looks at six especially interesting possibilities.
#6. Brock Lesnar vs. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has come out and explicitly stated he’d like to wrestle Brock Lesnar in All Elite Wrestling. Jericho is notoriously good at generating interest by manipulating social media and the dirt sheets. Nonetheless, there’s some extra intrigue attached to this prospective match for Lesnar’s part-time status with WWE and the ways in which his deal is repeatedly reported to be on the edge of falling apart. Moreover, it’s a first-time match and has some extra heat for Jericho’s much-publicized backstage confrontation with Lesnar at SummerSlam 2016.
Lesnar vs. Jericho is a possibility, and it’s an important one for this fledgeling wrestling promotion. One of the reasons that no other company has been able to compete with WWE since WCW is the sheer lack of star power. This is a match that could headline WWE PPV—and Jericho claims it came close to doing so in 2017—and would mean big business in terms of luring in not just hardcore, but more casual wrestling fans who otherwise might have been content to stick to WWE.
#5. Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon
Pentagon has cultivated quite following, using Lucha Underground to transition from one of the top stars of lucha libre to one of the most sought after acts among smaller promotions in the US.
He has a ton of charisma and is an excellent worker. While AEW hasn’t announced him as a signee at this point, he seems like a likely recruit given that he worked a featured match with Kenny Omega at All In.
The general impression was that Dean Ambrose was going to stick with WWE for the long haul as one of its best featured, best-paid stars. If we take the news of his departure this spring at face value, he would make a lot of sense as AEW recruit. AEW is the only promotion that could offer him close to WWE money, and he has friends there.
So Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon becomes a dream match few expected to see unless Pentagon made it to WWE. Moreover, to see it in AEW, where neither is likely to be handicapped by WWE style restrictions, this could be a violent, fast-paced super match.
#4. AJ Lee vs. Tessa Blanchard
AJ Lee retired from WWE at a young age having both accomplished every milestone available to her and was caught in an awkward spot as the wife of CM Punk and, herself, a vocal critic of the WWE machine. AEW offers a platform and an aesthetic that could justify her getting back into the ring, even if it is for a limited run.
Tess Blanchard worked All In and would be a natural signee, given that she’s on the shortlist of the most famous and most talented female wrestlers today not signed to WWE. She also got extra exposure via the Mae Young Classic, not to mention that she’s the daughter of Tully Blanchard. Moreover, these days, she’s making a name for herself as one of the top Knockouts in Impact Wrestling.
There aren’t too many women’s dream matches that AEW can use to compete with WWE’s increasingly robust female roster. Lee vs. Blanchard does feel that sort of match, though, for the star power and talent involved.
#3. The Young Bucks vs. The Revival
The Young Bucks aren’t necessarily so young anymore, but rather have cycled through the WWE aesthetic, from an act too fast-paced, small, and work rate obsessed to fit the WWE mould, to an act that WWE reportedly bent over backwards to try to sign this winter. They’ve worked with just about every great team not signed to WWE, and The Revival would have to be toward the top of the list prospective opponents that would realistically defect to AEW.
Dash and Dawson reportedly asked for their release from WWE. They’re smaller guys themselves who have been underutilized on the main roster, despite a sterling run in NXT. Opposite the Bucks, they could create a very Brainbusters vs. Rockers vibe with a ground-based team that works excellent psychology against an electrifying pair of high flyers. This is a five-star tag team match just waiting to happen.
#2. Pac vs. Kenny Omega
Neville walked out on WWE over creative frustration, particularly after he had to put over Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship. It was an odd situation that saw him off TV but still bound to his WWE contract for the better part of a year.
The general consensus was that WWE wanted to keep Neville from jumping to New Japan or another competitor, but the plan may have backfired as the man once, and now again known as Pac has only developed more intrigue and anticipation around him, particularly for hardcore wrestling fans. He was a big score for AEW, announced at their Double or Nothing rally.
Kenny Omega is one of the best wrestlers in the world. The jury’s still out on whether he’ll land in WWE, AEW, or conceivably elsewhere, but the smart money seems to be on him joining his Bullet Club friends in their new company. Pac vs. Omega would be fresh with the potential to deliver at the very highest level in the ring.
#1. Joey Ryan vs. Priscilla Kelly
There’s no clear indication either way just yet if All Elite Wrestling will entertain inter-gender wrestling, but that style has been used across indies in recent years, and even WWE has dipped its toe in the water with Nia Jax’s recent exploits opposite her male counterparts.
Joey Ryan has had his share of interactions with the powers that be at AEW via the Being the Elite series and had a starring role when he made his return at All In. Moreover, he hits the sweet spot of being one of the most recognizable wrestlers working smaller US promotions today and being way too adult in his sensibilities to fit WWE—best known for using his private parts for outlandish offence.
The perfect counterpart for Ryan, particularly if AEW does experiment with casting men vs. women? Priscilla Kelly appeared in the Mae Young Classic, but since gained greater notoriety for an Internet-famous spot of pulling a tampon from her trunks and stuffing it in an opponents mouth, as well as a more recent stunt throwing up on an opponent on the finish to a match.
Ryan has vocally defended Kelly on Twitter. Put these two in a ring and the results would be very adult, anything but conventional, and a key change of pace that would help AEW stand out to fans who are giving them a chance for just a show or two.
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