Why Tony Khan's AEW Nightmare Could Come True In January

Given how WWE had a strong interest in talents such as Jay White and Will Ospreay once it became clear that those names were entering free agency, it's quite the bold statement from AEW that those two major players - two of the very best wrestlers on the planet - rejected WWE in favour of signing with AEW.

Much like White and Ospreay were once being vied for by these two promotions, there's a slew of ridiculously talented wrestlers either already a free agent or about to enter free agency in 2024. And for AEW, it could be an awful look if they miss out on some of these heavy hitters to WWE.

Of course, one such free agent is Mercedes Moné. Having been in attendance at AEW All In, plus having worked for the AEW-friendly NJPW and Stardom, it seemed an absolute given that Mercedes would sign with All Elite Wrestling once she healed from the ankle injury she suffered back in May. However, with the Mercedes-supporting Paul Levesque now steering the WWE ship, all of a sudden it becomes a genuine possibility that, rather than Mercedes Moné becoming #AllElite, we could well see the WWE return of Sasha Banks.

Elsewhere, there are those rumblings that Stardom standout Giulia is high on WWE's radar, has already visited the Performance Center, and may well sign with the market leader when her Bushiroad contract expires in March. Again, that would mark a huge coup for WWE, although one has to question how Giulia would be used in an AEW due to how poorly the company's female talent are utilised.

On the topic of female talent, the exceptional Deonna Purrazzo is wrapping up her time with IMPACT Wrestling in order to explore the free agent market in the new year. The Virtuosa has been absolutely killing it for Anthem across these past few years, and she's another who both WWE and AEW should be desperately trying to sign up.

Another person who's been killing it outside of WWE or AEW, is Alexander Hammerstone. As the former MLW Heavyweight Champion gets set to depart that promotion in early 2024, ol' Hammer is someone with such upside and has the potential to be a serious player for either WWE or AEW if given an opportunity. And with the MLW and WWE lawsuit seemingly now reaching a settlement, that should mean that Hammerstone will have his pick of the wrestling business. Likewise, the 32-year-old's former Dynasty running buddy Richard Holliday is someone who has had reported interest from WWE and AEW; attending a WWE tryout earlier this year, and also having been spotted backstage at an AEW show with his good pal MJF.

But still, while it wouldn't be ideal for AEW if they were publicly shunned in favour of WWE by those aforementioned names, there remains one name for whom it would be a nightmare for Tony Khan if they signed with WWE...