12 Signings That Changed The Wrestling World

Something as simple as scribbling some ink onto a little piece of paper has the potential to entirely alter countless lives.

Had each and every one of the gifted and hugely influential figures here opted to either keep exploring free agency, stay put in their then-current homes, continue ripping it up on the independent scene, or even just pack in this wrestling stuff altogether, who knows whether some of the most important events in the history of this great sport would have even occurred.

Some of the following world class performers would go on to influence entire generations with their sensational and unquestionably unique work in-between the ropes after agreeing to join certain companies.

Others would put pen to paper on a contract before then massively helping drive a wrestling promotion to some of its hottest and most successful eras of all time.

Then you have those gifted performers whose arrivals eventually gave organisations no choice but to commit to a much-needed revolution.

One thing all of these signings have in common, though, is the fact that they completely and often brilliantly changed this business.

Before getting to the other important figures who helped get the game-changing All Elite Wrestling off to the best start possible, it's time to look at one of the first major names to surprisingly debut on-screen in Tony Khan's new company: Jon Moxley.

Appearing at the very end of AEW's first official PPV, Double or Nothing 2019, the former Dean Ambrose quickly added some additional buzz to a promotion that was already the talk of the town.

But that was merely the beginning.

From here, Mox would quickly shake off the "Ex-WWE guy" tag and fully embrace the role of "Mr AEW" as he conquered AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and proceeded to magnificently carry the company on his back during those early pandemic days.

That consistently superb and electrifying work during one of the darkest times in human history was already enough to guarantee the eventual Blackpool Combat Club man a space on this list. But Mox wasn't done proving his worth even after dropping the gold that first time.

When the AEW ship needed settling after a returning CM Punk's wheels began to fall off, who did they turn to? The most reliable man on the roster, of course. 

One of the most important signings in company history continued to put on diverse and always captivating displays against the likes of Brodie King, Bryan Danielson, and Rush as both Interim and Undisputed AEW World Champion before helping get MJF off to a strong start as the new top dog at Full Gear 2022.

Do AEW survive the pandemic and Punk/Elite chaos without their undoubted MVP? Possibly not.