10 Wrestlers Who Could Debut (Or Return) On AEW Collision

10. AJ Mendez

AJ Mendez is a generational professional wrestler.

Before her unforeseen April 2015 retirement, the once longest-reigning Divas Champion was a needle-mover in the viewpoint of women's wrestling, competing as the archetypical anti-Diva by lambasting the so-called 'cast' of Total Divas, and putting weight and meaning back into the very title she famously held. The influence put on her career by similar empowering female figures - Lita, Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, et al - was palpable; AJ wrestled an antithetical style that didn't push itself through until after she'd retired, calling it a day at a period where she'd cultivated an imposing body of work without anything left to achieve. The Women's Tag Team titles weren't in existence yet. Neither were women's Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, or Elimination Chamber matches, but AJ's crusade for greater treatment and opportunity led to such achievements being inaugurated.

Unfortunately, the nature of her retirement wasn't as straightforward as it may read - cervical spine damage unequivocally forced her to hang up her Converse.

An executive producer and colour commentary role in Women of Wrestling scans as a small-scale resurgence for AJ ahead of a major landing point; ruling out an in-ring comeback, this is a role she could slot into in AEW to strengthen a usually-fledging women's division.