10 Wrestlers Who Are In The Wrong Company
WWExodus.
It is easier to make serious money in American wrestling than it has been for years, since the formation of All Elite Wrestling - but because of AEW, it has never been harder to get out of a multi-year deal.
WWE has placed a ban on releasing talent, irrespective of how unhappy that talent is (Harper), nor how little WWE values that talent (Harper). Co-President George Barrios is on record as stating that WWE independent contractors are free to leave whenever they wish; at the 20th Annual Needham Growth Conference in 2018, he claimed "they're under agreement, but both parties could terminate them in pretty short order. So, we're not trying to lock anyone up," which is strange, because WWE f*cking is locking everybody up by refusing to grant release requests (Harper) and adding extra months to their deal by tacking on time missed due to injury (Harper).
WWE is essentially that scene in the Simpsons episode the 'Joy of Sect'. You're free to leave whenever you want, a solemn voice intones, but would you mind telling us why?
"I can't do a southern accent, even though you hate southern accents. (Harper)"
"Tough t*tties."
But, in a perfect world...
10. The Revival
Shouldn't be in WWE because...
WWE, historically, is fundamentally uninterested in presenting tag team wrestling as a main event concern. The Revival are used in a more flattering role at time of writing (read: not being made to act as if their a*seholes are on fire through topical pain relief or whatever deeply problematic implication Vince had in mind for that shower segment), but an attempt is being made to secure their services for another five years. But it's not as if WWE suddenly deems them an act worthy of promoting. They are a tag team.
Should be in AEW because...
AEW has presented just four shows, and has already shown a serious commitment to tag team wrestling, as evidenced by it headlining Fight For The Fallen and the vast depth of the roster. The Revival, a superb, purist tag act, would excel in prominent roles against so many of the duos AEW has signed thus far: the acrobatic, flashy Private Party, the contrasting, gimmicky A Boy & His Dinosaur, and the Lucha Brothers, with their refusal to actually tag.
And, of course, that generational and philosophical Young Bucks dream match.