The things being done on WWE television, on Impact Television, and even Ring of Honor are all directly influenced by the indie scene. The previous year, the power trio had proven that an independent wrestling show could draw a huge crowd, selling out ten thousand seats because of an impromptu social media bet between Cody and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The speech they gave at the end seemed to have more to do with the future than the past, hinting that they wanted to do more shows and display their vision of sports entertainment. This was but a taste of things to come. Now with another All In show coming up, the fledgling promotion has signed many stars of note; PAC, Chris Jericho, The Lucha Brothers Pentagon and Fenix, and the biggest star of all, Kenny Omega.

Once Kenny Omega made the decision to sign with AEW, it cooled off the speculation for a time. But now thanks to some social media posts and well-publicized drama backstage at WWE Raw, the guessing game is back on.

Here are ten wrestlers that AEW would love to have on their roster.

#1 King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura

When it comes to professional wrestling, there are those certain performers who go beyond the pale. They are able to combine athleticism, grit, emotion, and wrestling ability to create true art, and the wrestling ring is their canvas.

Shinsuke Nakamura, the King of Strong style, is one such artist. He is a man so dedicated to his sport that he cried following a bout with Brock Lesnar in Japan because he thought the match didn’t live up to its full potential.

His WWE career has been as unlikely as it has been divisive. Shinsuke Nakamura has stated he is more interested in remaining in America at this stage of his career, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be wrestling for the WWE.

Nakamura brings just the exact type of intensity, artistry, and dedication that All Elite Wrestling is about, and you can bet that Cody would love to have him if he can lure him away from the WWE, who will no doubt make their own lucrative offer.

#2 The Revival

One of the most dramatic developments from the formation of All Elite Wrestling took place when The Revival asked for their releases from WWE shortly after a brief match on Raw. But the signs have been there for much longer than this drastic action. Pictured above is the twin tweets that started all of the speculations in the first place.

For now, the WWE has convinced The Revival to stay on board, though the duo of Dash and Dawson are contracted for at least another year and have no real legal recourse but to perform or sit out their contracts. However, WWE won’t want to anger their talent by treating their other stars poorly, so The Revival might be granted their release if they still want it.

Tag team wrestling has seen a recent bump in both time allotted and importance recently on WWE television, but if it’s not enough to please the Revival then Cody and the Bucks would love to have their tandem in AEW.

#3 Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy is a middle-aged wrestler, which might not make him seem like a great candidate for an upstart pro wrestling organization such as All Elite Wrestling. However, AEW needs big stars with instant name recognition if they are to be competitive, as is their stated goal.

Matt Hardy would be a great catch for Cody and the Young Bucks, because of his name recognition but also because he has a keen mind for the wrestling business. In just a few years, Matt Hardy has done more to transform the wrestling business than other men have in a decade.

Hardy’s creative genius would be a boom for AEW, and he could wrestle a part-time schedule to take it easy on his battered body. Cody and the Young Bucks all look up to Matt Hardy as both a veteran and a man who has accomplished a great deal in spite of being ’too small.'

#4 Jordynne Grace

The second match on the first All In event was a twenty man over the top rope battle royal, dubbed hilariously enough the Over Budget battle royal. Actually, twenty person over the top rope battle royal would be more apropos, since there was a woman competing side by side with the men–Jordynne Grace.

The pint-sized powerhouse has been awing the independent circuit because of her combination of skill, power, and surprising speed and agility. During the Over Budget Battle Royal, she performed the ‘wazzup’ Dudley Boyz staple move on the last active member of the team, Bully Ray, proving she can hang with the big boys.

But when paired with top tier women’s wrestlers like Tessa Blanchard, Jordynne Grace truly begins to shine. Her unique style and build make her a spectacular wrestler, and AEW would love to have her on board.

#5 Tyler Breeze

When he wrestled for WWE’s NXT brand, Tyler Breeze was a no questions asked main event talent. He carried the Florida Championship Wrestling title, the precursor to the NXT Championship, and was on a champion tag team with Roman Reigns.

Once on the main roster, however, Tyler Breeze slipped down the card into relative obscurity despite his in-ring ability and charisma. The Fashion Police may have been entertaining in small doses, but no one took them seriously as challengers to teams like the Bludgeon Brothers.

The drama surrounding Tyler Breeze was stoked further by a Twitter exchange between Prince Pretty and the Vice President and founder of All Elite Wrestling, Cody Rhodes. When Tyler tweeted that ‘at some point, opportunity has to come…right?’ Cody was quick to respond with “No, you have to go out and seize it, friend.”

Was Cody slyly letting Tyler Breeze know he would be welcome in the AEW? We think so, and the prospects of Breeze squaring off against men like Kenny Omega has us very intrigued.

#6 Will Ospreay

The Progress and New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay has also spent some time in Ring of Honor, where he captured the ROH World Television Title in his debut match. He would lose the belt in short order, but also challenged ROH World Champion Jay Lethal in a match dubbed an instant classic.

Drawing favorable comparisons to Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles, Will Ospreay has been tearing up the Junior heavyweight scene in New Japan Pro Wrestling, capturing the Jr Heavyweight title twice and winning the Never Openweight Championship.

Ospreay is a great fit for the All Elite Wrestling promotion. He’s young, fast, and agile, and technically sound enough to please even the most ardent wrestling purist. You can bet dollars to donuts that Cody and the Young Bucks would love to have Will Ospreay on their AEW roster.

#7 Tessa Blanchard

Tessa Blanchard has the ideal genetic and familial makeup to be the perfect wrestler. Her genetic father is Tully Blanchard, one of the best and most respected wrestlers of the 1980s, and a member of the Four Horsemen faction. Besides her Hall of Fame father, Tessa was raised by her stepfather Magnum TA, who was also one of the most respected wrestlers of the 1980s.

Magnum TA was well on his way toward the world title picture in the NWA territories when a tragic accident cut his career short. With these two men mentoring her, Tessa has become one of the most outstanding wrestling talents, male or female, in the business today. She has plenty of athletic and technical wrestling ability, but what really separates Tessa from the crowd is her psychology.

She can work a crowd and work a match with the aplomb of someone with ten years more experience. All Elite Wrestling has said women will be front and center for their organization, and if you want to stock your roster with the best you have to sign the best–and the best is Tessa Blanchard.

#8 Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder was once packaged into a tag team with Curt Hawkins and the duo were dubbed the Major Brothers. The gimmick didn’t last terribly long, partially because they became involved in an angle involving Edge.

The Rated-R Superstar was slated to defend his WWE World Heavyweight title at Armageddon, and both Ryder and Hawkins came out dressed like Edge to create enough confusion for Edge to retain his belt over the deadman. After that, he and Hawkins wrestled as the Edge heads for a time before going their separate ways.

Ryder flirted with superstardom, banking off his social media prowess and Long Island Iced Z gimmick. But though the fans seemed behind him, WWE never moved him past the mid-card, and indeed he has slipped down further than that.

Ryder and Cody Rhodes are good friends outside the wrestling ring, and Cody lamented that because Ryder was under WWE contract he couldn’t appear in All In. Given their personal history and Ryder treading water in his WWE career, it’s not hard to imagine the duo hooking up again in an AEW ring.

#9 Gallows and Anderson

Luke Gallows has had an off again, on again relationship with the WWE. He was a tough enough contestant, then was signed to a developmental deal where he formed the Dalton Boys tag team with Jesse.

Eventually, the duo made their way to the main roster, but Festus–as Gallows was known–ruffled network feathers for his portrayal of a mentally challenged man with anger issues. He was repackaged as Luke Gallows, a member of CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society before being released.

Gallows headed to Japan, where he hooked up with Karl Anderson and helped found Bullet Club. The duo of Gallows and Anderson clicked when nothing else did, and they became multi time tag champions. They were signed to WWE primarily as a favor to AJ Styles, and have slowly slipped down the card into relative obscurity.

There’s no doubt that Gallows and Anderson’s old Bullet Club buddies would love to have them in the AEW, and with the duo’s contracts up soon it just may happen.

#10 Luke Harper

Luke Harper in many ways realized the dreams of wrestling fans the world over. He started off as a backyard wrestler by the name of Huberboy #2 (yes, there was a Huberboy #1 but that’s not important right now.)

Harper would go on to make a name for himself on the independent scene as a big man who could easily keep up with the smaller sized wrestlers the indie scene favors. His uncanny agility and speed enable him to pull off maneuvers like drop kicks which men of his size normally cannot even contemplate.

But recent statements by Wade Keller have indicated that Luke Harper might just have a home in AEW if he wants it. Also, Harper recently praised a house show opponent, Apollo Crews, calling him the real deal–and saying he couldn’t wait to compete against him in Dragon Gate USA!

This, of course, has caused much speculation about Luke Harper’s contractual status with WWE and fueled the fire that he might be joining AEW in the future.

There you have it; Ten pro wrestlers that AEW would love to sign. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article, and as always thanks for reading!

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