10 Wrestlers Who Turned Down WWE Contracts

2. The Elite

Sting Darby Allin
AEW/Lee South

Just months before launching AEW, members of The Elite were offered absolutely gigantic opportunities by a panicked WWE, eager to prevent the inevitable.

A king's ransom was presented, which, in addition to a massive financial windfall, would have given them complete creative control in NXT and the main roster, as well as a slot on the Network for weekly show Being The Elite.

Ultimately, they collectively agreed that, whilst the offers were unquestionably magnificent, the risk of going into business for themselves was one worth taking.

Kenny Omega told the Mac Attack podcast that, though working there someday isn't out of the question, he doesn't feel "any less of a performer, any less of a man, or [that he's] had any less of a career" for not having done so. For now, the focus is on providing the best wrestling possible - and he reckons only AEW allows him to do that.

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Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.