10 Biggest Missed Opportunities From AEW So Far

4. Not Signing Mercedes Martinez

It's a shame that AEW didn’t capitalise on the most acclaimed women’s veteran in North America when they had the chance. Mercedes Martinez is one of the best wrestlers in the world, has been for a long time, and could have easily been the genuine star to elevate the women’s division at the start of the company’s existence. She was even wrestling in AEW as a freelancer before signing to NXT! How did they not sign her?

It makes no sense that they had such a tremendous performer, someone with decades of experience who could help train and improve every single woman in the company, and just waited around for the competition to steal her. We don’t know how hard they tried to get her, they could have made an offer that was declined, but it seemed that AEW’s priorities in signings weren’t with her as she was available for months before pledging to NXT.

This one particularly stings because she clearly has a lot left to offer, and as a beacon of the American independent scene, would have fit perfectly in AEW’s roster. She’s thriving in NXT thankfully, but it’s a major missed opportunity for AEW that they didn’t grab onto her when they could.