10 WWE Wrestlers Who Must Also Join AEW

The entertainers who should be Elite.

Kofi Kingston AEW
WWE.com

AEW - and the "war" narrative between All Elite Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment - has simultaneously brought old giddy thrills and a new infuriating takes to the table in a 2020 already defined by something far more awful than even the worst of pro wrestling could ever hope to be.

There's loads fun to be had imagining dream matches between the two sides, carefully examining the ratings and pretending you work in television, and wondering just who might jump ship next thanks to that all-important momentum currently swinging towards Jacksonville.

If the b*stard you're dwelling on isn't the ongoing global one outside, it's the exclamation you make upon seeing yet another suggestion that Dynamite is featuring too many ex-WWE guys. Miro's recent arrival with the organisation brought the same craic back, and though his "glass ceiling" bullsh*t fanned the first flames, the reality remains - he isn't ex-WWE first, independent contractor wrestler second. Nobody ever has been, apart maybe from Stephanie and Shane McMahon but even the really good TNT shows probably couldn't do much with their limitations.

This list is just a bit of fun speculation. The type that's getting harder to do with WWE because so little of it makes sense anymore. This is the discourse that only comes from the industry escaping a monopoly, and one we should all be grateful for. If these lot move across and totally rule and get pushed, we all win. If they don't, so what? Here's to never saying never...

10. Kevin Owens

Kofi Kingston AEW
WWE

Upon defeating Aliester Black thanks to help from flickering lights (!) on a recent edition of Monday Night Raw, Kevin Owens celebrated backstage by eating a banana (!!) before wheeling away from the scene on a disused office chair (!!), and if you're wondering why the latter half of that description doesn't sound like WWE television it's because it wasn't.

The banana and chair craic was morbidly entertaining, and thus reserved for a WWE.com exclusive like the rest of the half-decent promos. The bullsh*t match and finish was all Raw.

Indeed, Owens' Monday was an odd one out of context, but not so far removed from his regular life as an occasionally-thought-about upper midcarder. At worst, could he not be living this life in AEW?

What a blast he could be on Being The Elite, not to mention the spicier comedy he could add to Dynamite. And that's if he's used as a babyface - there are few better bastards than the 'Prizefighter' when managed effectively. As powerful as a giant, as creatively violent as a deathmatch wrestler and as skilful as a technical high flyer, Owens' ability to turn the dial as required makes him one of the more versatile talents out there.

He looks increasingly more content to take an extremely healthy payday, and that's no bad thing for a man who's bumped enough to earn a wage for life.

But he's not the only one who might have a little more left to offer than that...

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett