9 Wrestlers AEW Will Sign In 2024

8. Dolph Ziggler

Kazuchika Okada
WWE.com

AEW came under fire in the second half of 2023 for fashioning itself as a retirement community. The days of watching Darby Allin, MJF and Jungle Boy explode on the scene without having to trudge through a "developmental" system, while exhilarating, are over.

Ric Flair can't talk and Paul Wight can't move, but both - for some ungodly reason - were heavily promoted in October. The TNA comparisons were almost too generous; for a few moments there, AEW half-resembled Heroes of Wrestling.

There are several reasons why AEW should not sign Dolph Ziggler, or Nic Nemeth, as he'd probably be called. The optics would not be ideal, given AEW's public image, and they don't "need" him. He is synonymous with WWE and being over-exposed in that system. Very few wrestlers have spent as long as they have in one promotion than Dolph, and while he was booked very wastefully, he never did cut that one breakthrough promo.

He never developed (or was allowed to develop) a true main event-level style. His bumping was a bit too indulgent for that level, and he didn't compensate by fighting from underneath with a true emotional bond with the fanbase. While he's still in astonishing condition, he won't make a difference, where several AEW youngsters - like Daniel Garcia - might.

Still, Khan loves a solid hand he can beat and beat and beat - and that is Nemeth.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!