12 Wrestlers Who Will Eventually End Up In All Elite Wrestling

Whether it's in one year or this Saturday, expect to see these stars among the "elite" in due time.

Marty Scurll
NJPW

It's become commonplace for fans to tweet wrestlers who have expressed interest in leaving their current promotion for greener pastures, and tease them about making the jump to All Elite Wrestling. That was the first thought in everyone's mind when Tye Dillinger departed WWE back in February, and sure enough, he was announced as an entrant in the Casino Battle Royale just this past week.

AEW already boasts a star-studded roster featuring the illustrious likes of Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Cody, The Young Bucks, and The Lucha Bros, and it will only continue to grow now that they have a television deal in place with TNT for the fall.

While there's a lot of buzz surrounding AEW at the moment, it's imperative that their premiere pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, in Las Vegas goes off without a hitch this Saturday night.

Cody and the Bucks have promised plenty of surprises on the show, which was always expected. They'll need another few notable names to appear at the event to ensure AEW hits the ground running.

Whether they've shown up on Being the Elite before, have history with the higher-ups, or would simply be a welcome addition to the AEW roster, these 12 stars are virtually guaranteed to be calling themselves "elite" before long.

12. Eli Drake

Marty Scurll
Impact Wrestling

IMPACT were dummies for dropping Eli Drake back in April, because once he's free to work anywhere he wishes, he will be a major asset to the company that is smart enough to snatch him up.

Thus, All Elite Wrestling feels like a proper home for the former Impact World Champion.

Drake was at one time under a developmental deal to NXT and appeared to be primed to break out as a major star eventually. He unfortunately never made his debut on NXT TV before being released in mid-2014 but ultimately ended up in IMPACT the following year.

While there, he held several championships and came into his own as a top talent, especially on the microphone. He wasn't much of a focal point on the program during his last year under contract to them, but it was the perfect platform for him to grow and prove himself as one to watch in the wrestling world.

Perhaps an appearance at Double or Nothing is out of the question (reportedly, IMPACT is attempting to restrict Drake from working elsewhere right now), but there's a good chance he will sign with AEW before the year is through.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.